= !HaikuPort =

A !HaikuPort is that which allows a piece of software to be built and run on Haiku. It consists of:
 * Haiku-specific patches to the original source code.
 * a BepFile. This is a ''recipe'' that haikuporter uses to fetch, patch, build and install the port. It also serves to track the revision of the !HaikuPort.

!HaikuPorts are divided into a number of sub-categories. The categories are the same as in [http://www.gentoo.org/main/en/about.xml Gentoo Portage] (what a coincidence!). For example, the Simple Direct Media Layer (SDL) library is part of the {{{media-libs}}} category.

A !HaikuPort is characterized by a port name and a port version. The port name is simply a short name for the software package, for example {{{libsdl}}} for the SDL library mentioned above. A port version reflects the version of the software package. The !HaikuPort of the SDL version 1.2.14 library is referred to as {{{libsdl-1.2.14}}}. Next to the port name and version, there is also a revision number. This number serves to identify changes in the !HaikuPort of a software package.