News

A new (binary) Fink release for OS X 10.5 (Leopard) is available today: version 0.9.0, which can be installed on either Intel or PowerPC hardware. The release includes source files, binary packages, and Fink installers for both kinds of hardware.

Users who have already installed Fink on Leopard from source, who now wish to switch to the binary distribution, may do so as follows. First, run fink selfupdate to update to the latest version of the fink package manager. Next, run fink configure, and be sure to change your choice about using the binary distribution from No to yes. Final, run fink scanpackages to activate the binary distribution.

Every large open source project has to face the problem of distribution and Fink is no different. We want you to get all the files you need to build your favourite application as quickly as possible. A mirror close to your location is a first step to achieving that.

We are actively working on building a reliable distribution infrastructure consisting of mirrors sponsored by universities and corporations. Recently our list of mirrors had to be shortened considerably and we need your help to improve its level of quality again.

Are you a student? Are you a professor? Do you run a Data Center? Are you a developer with free time to spare? Even if you cannot say yes to any of those questions you still might be able to help. All the relevant information on how to run and sponsor a mirror can be found on the FinkWiki. For specific questions you can contact us directly. We are looking for mirrors all over the world, but specifically in these countries:

• United States
• Japan
• Germany
• France
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Italy
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Australia

We would like to take this opportunity to thank those who are already providing Fink with mirrors. Without your continued support Fink would not be able to provide the level of service it currently does. Thank you!

The fink website is not functioning correctly at present. (You may have noticed that many of the links on this page do not function correctly.) The fink team is working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

Update, 2008-01-13: The website is back to normal.

Status

Fink 0.9.0 was released on 26 June 2008. This release includes source and binary packages as well as binary installers for both PowerPC and Intel, all intended for users of OS X version 10.5. Fink 0.8.1 (for OS X 10.4), 0.7.2 (for OS X 10.3), 0.6.4 (for OS X 10.2), and 0.4.1 (for OS X 10.1) also remain available.

10.5 Support: Users are encouraged to update to OS 10.5.2, via Software Update, in order to get bugfixes and enhancements for X11. Further updates continue to be made available on the XQuartz Update Page.

Resources

If you're looking for support, check out the help page. That page also lists various options to help the project and submit feedback.

If you are looking for the source files which correspond to binaries distributed by the Fink project, please consult this page for instructions.

The Fink project is hosted by SourceForge. In addition to hosting this site and the downloads, SourceForge provides the following resources for the project:

• SourceForge project summary page
• Report or view bugs
• Request a package that's not in Fink
• Request a feature that's not in fink (the program)
• Submit a new Fink package (non-core developers)
• Submit a patch for fink (the program)
• Mailing lists
• CVS (browse online, access instructions)

Please note that to use some of these resources (ie, to report a bug or request a new Fink package), you will need to be logged in to your SourceForge account. If you do not have one, you can sign up for one for free on the SourceForge web site.

Additional resources hosted outside SourceForge include:

• The Fink developer wiki (now at a new location).