On Thu, 16 Mar 2000, Robert W. Current wrote: > Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 22:30:51 -0500 > From: Robert W. Current <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: File Systems. > Resent-Date: 17 Mar 2000 03:29:37 -0000 > Resent-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Resent-cc: recipient list not shown: ; > > I would like to open a discussion on the merit of moving "packaged" > userland software out of /usr/bin and to a different FHS compliant area. > > The reasons for this are to allow more structured and organized > standards of systems administration, similar to those found in some of > the BSD flavors. Hopefully, this can be done without making Linux into > a BSD system. > > Although I understand that the de facto standard for some of the larger > Linux distributions uses /usr/bin as the default location for software, > I feel that /usr/bin growing to several G of software is a real problem > point for system administration. Furthermore, the convention is not > completely standardized, shown by the use of /usr/local by distributions > such as Slackware. > > I feel that this issue would be best addressed by people with long term > experience in system administration, instead of people speaking on > behalf of de facto standards imposed by Linux distributions. This will > allow an intelligent discussion of a potentially useful default > "exportable" location, as well as a good feel for what essentially > useful tools should go in /usr/bin, and where "local system only" but > not "essential" files, scripts, and applications should be placed. > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
You are right in princip, but i would suggest to reflect on this sample. let's loock to the near garden. in IRIX the GPled software goes, just to make order, in /usr/free/bin, instead that /usr/bin. That increase confusion. You have a double ps and so on. in HP-UX all the non system software, (read not included in HP installation bundle), goes in subdirectories in /opt. so you have /opt/gcc /opt/emacs /opt/libpcap /opt/readline /opt/tcpdump. It would seem ordered, but there are to much entries, system administration not using HP tools becomes difficoult. This is not a de facto standard imposed by distribution, but software that comes with get system should goes in /usr/bin. as software that comes with the sistem i mean also gcc all compilers stuff, and similars, everything is the old A Ap D N E series of older distributions. software for X11 /usr/X11R6 (X XAp Xd) tradictional directories are /usr/openwin (Xv) /usr/dt (CDE) /usr/games /usr/doc /usr/info special packages in /opt (kde gnome staroffice) in /usr/local i would put what i compile from sources by myself. It is structured like /usr. If i upgrade from software something that is already in /usr/bin i will just set up path for an installation in /usr if i want to overwrite, otherway i will remove the old package and keep the new one in /usr/local. this way you will keep a really ordered file system. You do not need to increase subdirectories and opaths... The problem is that packages are becomming biggers and biggers. The confusion comes from this problem. I have in /usr much more files that i was used to have in older linux distributions and in other Unixes. That is why global packages that are i kind of per se applications, like kde or gnome should go in /opt/kde /opt/gnome, because to have them in /usr make just more files, and more confusion (have a look in /usr/share on RedHat or Mandrake) That would be coherent. Slackware is not coherent keeping kde in /opt/kde and then gnome in /usr. Every application that has his own filesystem structure, like kde but also XNI, also syscadp, StarOffice, and so on, should go in /opt. Remember that for CDE they have been so smart to put it in /usr/dt, to avoid confusion. As a ge general rule we could say, "every knind of optional environment (such as also X11) has it's own directory. to keep the tradition we have /usr/X11R&, /usr/openwin, /usr/dt, then we have everything else in /opt(suggested but not obbligatory, i could want to put my software in /usr/cleopatra)". Luigi Genoni
