I have done this minor hack on mk/bsd.pkg.mk to make the reinstall
commands cut-n-paste happy.

This cuts down on meta-pkg/gnome insanity re-installing on top of gnome
(60+ separate things all complaining that pkg_delete is needed)

Now all I have to do is cut/paste the line from the output:

===> libsoup-devel-2.2.3 is already installed - perhaps an older
version? *** If so, you may use any of:
(pkg_delete -f libsoup-devel-2.2.3 && /usr/bin/make)
*** (optionally AKE reinstall) to upgrade properly
***  - "/usr/bin/make update" to rebuild the package and all of its
dependencies ***  - "/usr/bin/make replace" to replace only the package
without re-linking ***    dependencies, risking various problems.
*** Error code 1

(ie the line (pkg_delete -f libsoup-devel-2.2.3 && /usr/bin/make) above)

-George--- mk/bsd.pkg.mk	2005-10-24 11:58:52.000000000 +1000
+++ mk/bsd.pkg.mk.orig	2005-10-24 11:40:43.000000000 +1000
@@ -244,8 +244,7 @@
 .  if exists(${LOCALBASE}/lib/X11/config/buildlinkX11.def) || \
       exists(${X11BASE}/lib/X11/config/buildlinkX11.def)
 PKG_FAIL_REASON+= "${PKGNAME} uses imake, but the buildlink-x11
package was found." \
-	 "    Please deinstall it with: " \
-	 "    pkg_delete -f buildlink-x11 "
+	 "    Please deinstall it (pkg_delete buildlink-x11)."
 .  endif
 .endif	# USE_IMAKE
 
@@ -2070,9 +2069,8 @@
 	found="`${PKG_BEST_EXISTS} \"${PKGWILDCARD}\" ||
${TRUE}`";	\ if [ "$$found" != "" ];
then					\ ${ECHO_MSG}
"${_PKGSRC_IN}> $$found is already installed - perhaps an older
version?"; \
-		${ECHO_MSG} "*** If so, you may use any of:"; \
-		${ECHO_MSG} "(pkg_delete -f $$found && ${MAKE})"; \
-		${ECHO_MSG} "*** (optionally $MAKE reinstall) to
upgrade properly"; \
+		${ECHO_MSG} "*** If so, you may use either of:"; \
+		${ECHO_MSG} "***  - \"pkg_delete $$found\" and
\"${MAKE} reinstall\" to upgrade properly"; \ ${ECHO_MSG} "***  -
\"${MAKE} update\" to rebuild the package and all of its dependencies";
\ ${ECHO_MSG} "***  - \"${MAKE} replace\" to replace only the package
without re-linking"; \ ${ECHO_MSG} "***    dependencies, risking
various problems."; \ @@ -3507,9 +3505,8 @@ @found="`${PKG_BEST_EXISTS}
\"${PKGWILDCARD}\" || ${TRUE}`";	\ if [ "$$found" != "" ];
then					\ ${ECHO_MSG}
"${_PKGSRC_IN}> $$found is already installed - perhaps an older
version?"; \
-		${ECHO_MSG} "*** If so, you may wish to:"; \
-		${ECHO_MSG} "(pkg_delete -f $$found && ${MAKE}
bin-install)"; \
-		${ECHO_MSG} "*** to upgrade it properly."; \
+		${ECHO_MSG} "*** If so, you may wish to \`\`pkg_delete
$$found'' and install"; \
+		${ECHO_MSG} "*** this package again by \`\`${MAKE}
bin-install'' to upgrade it properly."; \ ${SHCOMMENT} ${ECHO_MSG} "***
or use \`\`${MAKE} bin-update'' to upgrade it and all of its
dependencies."; \ exit
1;							\ fi