updating CSW pkgs when last was 2012.

[Wyche, George PW]

Need advice about updating an old setup.

This system is isolated from the internet.
Been content with CSW software (333 packages) since late 2012.

Reading, I see that big reason for lots of changes was being caught just when all the SO's were separated out.
Pkgutil -C says I have 198 of 333 have changed. And 39 of the 198 are "not in catalog".
The "not in catalog" means I don't know what those CSW<pkg_name> is now named. So if I want to do "pkgutil -in" I will have to guess (and be wrong).

I want to be able to compile some simple c++ programs and aim to get CSWgcc4g++.

I remember 5 years ago being bothered by copying this & that .gz from the mirror, attempting installation, then finding I needed yet more files from the mirror.

I also worry that after 5 years, SOME program I use which was dropped from the catalog, will /break/ after I do all the updating. This did happen to me with emacs on one workstation that was/Is  stuck on Solaris 10u5, when the openCSW policy came to drawing the line at 10u8 (I think). Being without an editor after *that* update was unpleasant.

Since I cannot reasonably QA all the programs using openCSW support that I have, what alternatives do I have when after a few weeks post updating I find a program "I MUST HAVE" doesn't work (well enough) because some library change is incompatible? Throw away all the work I did updating (and giving up CSWgcc4g++)? Find exactly which programs use the offending library (assuming I can figure that out) and uninstall all of them so I can revert just that SO library so my "MUST HAVE" can work again?

[[I feel like my system is unchangeable! I should pick up another workstation, do the updating on it, and stuff the former workstation in the closet as a backup.]]

George Wyche