gnome2, firefox4, openjdk6 OK on 8.2-RELEASE i386 !!

[achix]

Alright, it seems now the system started to run in the correct lane.
Maybe there were some package leftovers in /usr/ports/packages/All from 7.2.
Also work, and options must be dealt with.
portsclean helps with those situations.
IMO # portupgrade -a or # portupgrade of any meta port should perform a # portsclean -C -DD -L -PP *before* the actual portupgrade is performed.
Forgetting to do so, the user risks days of frustration.
IMO another switch -O (for options) should be implemented in portsclean which would erase all or some content in /var/db/ports/*/* as well.

After running portsclean, portupgrade -P gnome2 broke in only two occasions. One (damageproto not being installed correctly) I solved in a harry and did not submit a PR , the other one (libgpg-error-1.10 refusing to build because it was thinking that libiconv was not installed) I solved (FORCE_PKG_REGISTER) and also submitted a PR.
This is not perfect, but wayyyyyy far better than the hell 1 day before.

PS
Sorry for all my bitter tone in previous posts. Frustration/rush/pressure is a bad advisor.

 

[achix]

I hate to say that, but using the ready-made package method, while seeming more attractive (time-wise), endangers the system to be left in an undesirable state, e.g. both perl10 and perl12 to be install, or many py26* and their equivalent py27* packages to be installed, which will surely lead to a broken system (make-wise) in the future.
Long-term, maybe, the compile-all method might prove more time-saving.