I have set up a Content Type Hub and tested the syndication is working correctly by creating a test content type and watching it be published to the client site.
Then I deployed the content types I am actually interested in publishing to the hub (by way of a feature) along with the site columns they depend on.
I get the error
Content type '...' cannot be published to this site because feature '...' is not enabled.
I want to deploy content types with features for upgradability and ease of porting between dev, qual and prod environments. But am left not understanding what the benefit of the Hub is.
If I have to activate the deploying feature, the content types will already be on the site before publishing will take place. If I have to manually create the content types on the Hub site with the web UI (yuck!), I have the issue of trying to keep three landscapes manually synchronized.
Is there a way to efficiently manage content type deployment to the Hub while still using the Hub to publish the content types?