--- title: Chapter 1. Introduction prev: books/porters-handbook next: books/porters-handbook/new-port description: Why port a program to the FreeBSD Ports Collection tags: ["ports", "why porting"] showBookMenu: true weight: 1 params: path: "/books/porters-handbook/porting-why/" --- [[why-port]] = Introduction :doctype: book :toc: macro :toclevels: 1 :icons: font :sectnums: :sectnumlevels: 6 :sectnumoffset: 1 :partnums: :source-highlighter: rouge :experimental: :images-path: books/porters-handbook/ ifdef::env-beastie[] ifdef::backend-html5[] :imagesdir: ../../../../images/{images-path} endif::[] ifndef::book[] include::shared/authors.adoc[] include::shared/mirrors.adoc[] include::shared/releases.adoc[] include::shared/attributes/attributes-{{% lang %}}.adoc[] include::shared/{{% lang %}}/teams.adoc[] include::shared/{{% lang %}}/mailing-lists.adoc[] include::shared/{{% lang %}}/urls.adoc[] toc::[] endif::[] ifdef::backend-pdf,backend-epub3[] include::../../../../../shared/asciidoctor.adoc[] endif::[] endif::[] ifndef::env-beastie[] toc::[] include::../../../../../shared/asciidoctor.adoc[] endif::[] The FreeBSD Ports Collection is the way almost everyone installs applications ("ports") on FreeBSD. Like everything else about FreeBSD, it is primarily a volunteer effort. It is important to keep this in mind when reading this document. In FreeBSD, anyone may submit a new port, or volunteer to maintain an existing unmaintained port. No special commit privilege is needed.