On Wed, 02 Nov 2011, Roger Leigh wrote: > > Altogether, according to FHS /usr/lib/PKG is actually not preferable > > location for them since indeed it is for solely internal use (and it is > > now used to keep shared libraries) > This is just nitpicking over the precise wording used.
really? since when it is nitpicking to quote FHS verbatim? once again: "The following directories, or symbolic links to directories, must be in /usr/bin, if the corresponding subsystem is installed: Directory Description mh Commands for the MH mail handling system (optional)" ? > In practice, > this *is* where they belong, and it is what every other package does > (for example, postgresql). You can add that specific directory to > your path, should you choose. and I have been doing that for quite a few packages myself -- so I am quite aware of this current "common practice". And that is why I actually decided to check among standards and ask here either it is mandated, because I always felt that executing anything from /usr/lib felt awkward. You might consider me blind or naive -- but so far none of the arguments for not having a subdirectory under /usr/bin had any strongly supported argument. > When considering the divide between "internal use" and "for users", > consider that if it's for users to invoke then it should simply be > in the default path. It's not typical to need to add special > directories to one's path, and it's certainly not encouraged or > recommended. Well -- that is all cool and in an ideal world I am with you on this one. BUT it is often the case (e.g. with scientific software) that suite provide bulk of (>100) cmdline tools. Some of those come without unique names and are already widely used by people running Debian or whatnot, so changing their habbits/scripts is not as easy as "lets just renamed them". Sure thing we recommend upstream either coming up with custom prefixes/unique names or gateway wrappers to avoid conflicts and/or reduce hit on the proliferation of namespace of cmdline tools... But once again -- it ain't happening at once and for all, so let's not discuss this aspect further here. -- =------------------------------------------------------------------= Keep in touch www.onerussian.com Yaroslav Halchenko www.ohloh.net/accounts/yarikoptic -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-devel-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20111102211926.gk10...@onerussian.com