I have seen many articles over the pros and cons of each and why one would be better than the other. I would like to know which of the two is actually supported by Apple and why does Apple choose to use old versions of certain libraries? Would not using current and updated one be better?
I am not a full time developer and I'm just getting into programming, so this is why I ask.
iMac, macOS High Sierra (10.13)
Apple does not support either. That is up to the developer's of each package manager. I have used Homebrew for years and have it installed on both El Capitan 10.11.6 and High Sierra 10.13.4 without issue. Homebrew keeps its installations separate from the operating system, and for good reason. Not all packages are in both Homebrew and MacPorts. I choose to keep the mayhem factor low, and use just one package manager.
Apple is not going to incorporate any executables or libraries that have GPL3 licensing. That is why we are stuck with Bash 3.25 and not using Bash 4.3. Apple has an entire operating system to consider when incorporating new features, or updating third-party applications and libraries. That is why they are not running the most recent versions because those versions change faster than the operating system updates and testing can accommodate.
MacPorts vs Homebrew
