Hmm... Well, you did exactly what it said to do...

The implication, of course, is that you are to download the latest
pkgsrc and _then_ make and install the pkgtools. One way to do that is
to blow your old /usr/pkgsrc away (except for /usr/pkgsrc/distfiles),
then download and install the -current pkgsrc.tar.gz.

A better way to keep your pkgsrc up-to-date is to use "sup." The
latest Packages.txt,
<ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-current/pkgsrc/Packages.txt> contains
an explanation of how to do that, headed "2.1 Where to get pkgsrc."
The example supfiles referred to can be found in
<ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD-current/src/share/examples/supfiles/>.
Here's another. (IIRC, it needs to be all on one line, as presented.)

current release=pkgsrc host=sup.NetBSD.ORG hostbase=/ftp/pub base=/usr prefix=/usr delete execute use-rel-suffix


On Thu, 28 Jan 1999, Eric Fox wrote:

> When attempting to compile a package, I get the following:
> 
>  red:# make
>  >> Checksum OK for xfmail-1.3.tar.gz.
>  ===>  Extracting for xfmail-1.3
>  Your package tools need to be updated to 1999/01/19 versions.
>  The installed package tools were last updated on 1998/11/07.
>  Please make and install the pkgsrc/pkgtools/pkg_install package.
>  *** Error code 1
> 
>  Stop.
>  *** Error code 1
> 
>  Stop.
>  *** Error code 1
> 
>  Stop.
>  red:#
> 
> 
> I've cd'd the above directory and issued a make there:
> 
>  red:# cd /usr/pkgsrc/pkgtools/pkg_install
>  red:# make
>  red:# make install
>  red:# 
> 
> 
> It doesn't appear to have done anything.  Attempts to compile the
> package again fail exactly as before.