Well, there is a method to the madness. Most specifically, the check-lib-depends framework.
>From time to time (preferably often), one must check that WANTLIB are correct. This is done by running (port)-lib-depends-check, and adjusting the Makefile to take new stuff into account. Running the script is simple enough. Figuring out actual changes is not too hard either. But changing the Makefile is (was) painful. - hunt libraries all over the place, between LIB_DEPENDS and WANTLIB - bump pkgnames all over the place. This is the main reason for the recent changes. If every libspec is in a WANTLIB, then it's simple to keep these ordered in a corner of the port. And if REVISION is separate from the main pkgname, then it's simpler to bump. With those changes, there will be ways for check-lib-depends to actually tamper with the Makefile directly for simple changes (e.g., keep REVISIONs and WANTLIBs additions in a clearly delineated area of the Makefile). Of course, for that to happen, Makefiles should eventually be "converted" to the new ways. This doesn't have to happen overnight (especially since all the current constructs still work)... but those are the main reasons behind those changes.
