Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

pkgsrc VS DXR

Compare pkgsrc VS DXR and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

pkgsrc logo pkgsrc

pkgsrc is a framework for building over 17,000 open source software packages.

DXR logo DXR

Powerful code search for large codebases.
  • pkgsrc Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-30
  • DXR Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-26

pkgsrc features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    pkgsrc is designed to be a portable package management system and can be used on a variety of Unix-like operating systems, including NetBSD, Solaris, Linux, and macOS. This cross-platform capability makes it a versatile tool for developers working in diverse environments.
  • Consistency Across Systems
    Using pkgsrc allows for a consistent package management experience regardless of the underlying operating system, reducing the learning curve and maintenance overhead for administrators managing multiple systems.
  • Comprehensive Package Collection
    pkgsrc offers a wide range of software packages, providing a robust collection that can meet diverse user needs from scientific libraries to web applications.
  • Quarterly Releases
    With quarterly releases, pkgsrc provides a balanced approach between stability and keeping software up to date, offering users new features regularly while maintaining reliability.
  • Flexible Build Options
    pkgsrc supports a flexible build system, allowing users to customize package builds with specific options or dependencies, tailored to their specific needs or system requirements.

Possible disadvantages of pkgsrc

  • Smaller Community
    Compared to other popular package management systems like apt (Debian/Ubuntu) or yum (RedHat/CentOS), pkgsrc has a relatively smaller community, which might affect the availability of support and community-driven improvements.
  • Potentially Older Software
    While pkgsrc maintains stable quarterly releases, it may occasionally lag behind other systems in terms of offering the very latest versions of certain software, which might not be ideal for users needing the newest features.
  • Manual Configuration
    Setting up pkgsrc might require manual interventions and configurations, which could pose a hurdle for users unfamiliar with its setup process or those who prefer more automated solutions.
  • Dependency Management
    Although pkgsrc is quite capable in dependency handling, some users may find its dependency resolution to be less automatic or seamless compared to other systems which offer more integrated solutions.
  • Performance Overhead
    Because it is designed to be cross-platform, there can be some performance overhead associated with using pkgsrc compared to native package managers that are optimized for specific operating systems.

DXR features and specs

  • Code Search Capabilities
    DXR provides powerful code search capabilities, allowing developers to query large codebases using full-text and regex searches, making it easier to navigate and understand complex projects.
  • Cross-Reference Navigation
    It offers cross-reference features that help in navigating between function definitions and usages, improving the understanding of code flow and dependencies.
  • Language Support
    DXR supports multiple programming languages, which makes it versatile for teams working with diverse codebases.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, DXR allows customization and contributions from the community, encouraging collaborative improvements and adaptations to specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of DXR

  • Limited Active Development
    As of the latest information, DXR is not under active development, which might lead to challenges in getting support or new features in the future.
  • Complex Setup
    The setup and configuration process can be complex, requiring significant effort and technical knowledge to implement effectively, which might deter new users.
  • Scaling Issues
    DXR might face challenges when scaling with very large projects or repositories, potentially impacting performance and user experience.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies to keep DXR running smoothly can be cumbersome, especially when dealing with integrations and additional tools.

pkgsrc videos

pkgsrc on ChromeOS

More videos:

  • Review - Using pkgsrc for multi-platform deployments in heterogeneous environments, G Clifford Williams

DXR videos

Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO Review โ€“ Best Non-Wifi Baby Monitor 2021?

More videos:

  • Review - Infant Optics DXR-8 Pro review: a worthy upgrade?
  • Review - An Infant Optics DXR-8 Review [+ our favorite baby monitor giveaway!]

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to pkgsrc and DXR)
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Software Development
0 0%
100% 100
Package Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Code Collaboration
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, pkgsrc seems to be a lot more popular than DXR. While we know about 11 links to pkgsrc, we've tracked only 1 mention of DXR. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

pkgsrc mentions (11)

  • Debian isn't waiting for 2038 to blow up, switches to 64-bit time for everything
    > Most open source software packages are also compiled for BSD variants, they switched to 64 bit time_t a long time ago and reported back upstream any problems. * NetBSD in 2012: https://www.netbsd.org/releases/formal-6/NetBSD-6.0.html * OpenBSD in 2014: http://www.openbsd.org/55.html For packaging, NetBSD uses their (multi-platform) Pkgsrc, which has 29,000 packages, which probably covers a large swath of... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Our Audit of Homebrew
    > https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ Note that Pkgsrc is a NetBSD-derived project. * https://pkgsrc.org The Joyent folks leveraged it to allow their customers, who were perhaps not as familiar with Solaris/SmartOS, a larger pool of packages. Pkgsrc was running on Solaris before Joyent, Joyent built on top of it. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Show HN: Brioche โ€“ A new Nix-like package manager
    Https://pkgsrc.org/ from netbsd runs on many systems. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Installing packages without an internet connection?
    It seems according to pkgsrc.org that pkgin might follow the PKG_PATH environment variable. You're supposed to set PKG_PATH="http://cdn.NetBSD.org/pub/pkgsrc/packages/NetBSD/$(uname -p)/$(uname -r|cut -f '1 2' -d.)/All/", and according to uname(1), -p gives the processor architecture and -r gives the operating system [kernel] release. Source: over 3 years ago
  • pkgsrc.se is no more :(
    It seems like pkgsrc.org hasnโ€™t got the news yet. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

DXR mentions (1)

  • Lmgrep: Lucene-based grep-like utility
    There is DXR from Mozilla but I'm not sure how generalised it is. https://github.com/mozilla/dxr There is also Sourcegraph. - Source: Hacker News / over 5 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing pkgsrc and DXR, you can also consider the following products

Conda - Binary package manager with support for environments.

Sourcegraph - Sourcegraph is a free, self-hosted code search and intelligence server that helps developers find, review, understand, and debug code. Use it with any Git code host for teams from 1 to 10,000+.

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

OpenGrok - OpenGrok is a fast and usable source code search and cross reference engine.

Yay - Yay is an AUR helper written in go, based on the design of yaourt, apacman and pacaur.

Text Sherlock - Provides a fast, easy to install and use search engine for text but, mostly for source code.