I'm a developer of Certbot and this issue got reported to us here: https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/freebsd-problem-installing-certbot-it-try-to-install-obsolete-python-2-6/41163 Please let me know if there's anything we can do to help fix the problem.
Short version: User should investigate the source of the '2.6' value being passed to the ports framework, and remove it, as the version of the ports tree being used does not contain the lang/python26 port. Context: The python26 port was removed in Jan 2014, due to EoL. [1] A port can be built with a/any user-specified version of Python if a value is provided, otherwise a 'default' version (set by the framework) is used, currently "2.7". Only 'supported' versions of Python can be used (without error). Supported means: 1) Is listed in python.mk [2], currently: _PYTHON_VERSIONS= 2.7 3.6 3.5 3.4 # preferred first 2) A port (lang/pythonXY) exists for the specified version An informed guess as to the explanation for the reported error is: - User is running an unsupported version of FreeBSD (guessing 8.3/early 8.4 or older) with a newer version of the ports tree that no longer supports that version (specifically, of `make`). Explanation is evidenced by: a) Unknown modifier 't' See [4]. b) "/usr/ports/Mk/Uses/python.mk", line 404: Could not find /usr/ports/lang/python26... the port doesn't exist (newer tree) AND - User/system has "2.6" set as the Python version to use (intentionally, or more likely, inadvertently having been set in the past). This could be via an environment variable via user-specified sources, /etc/make.conf modification, or by ports framework customisation/overriding. Note: Any system configuration that modifies the ports framework itself, uses a currently unsupported version of FreeBSD (now EoL), and/or uses outdated or customised versions of the ports tree is unsupported. [1] http://svnweb.freebsd.org/changeset/ports/339637 [2] https://svnweb.freebsd.org/ports/head/Mk/Uses/python.mk?view=markup [3] https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/46291/ [4] https://svnweb.freebsd.org/ports?view=revision&revision=352986
Please re-open this issue if the original reporter can provide reproduction steps or additional information after investigation/isolation that indicates the reported issue is present on an update to date ports tree (or package set) on a supported FreeBSD version