Nicolas Williams wrote: > On Thu, Jan 25, 2007 at 12:17:54PM -0500, Kyle McDonald wrote: > >> Nicolas Williams wrote: >> >>> The problem with *PATH is that it's too difficult to use. Wanna change >>> it? First you need to know what shell you're using, then you need to >>> edit the right dot files. That's insane -- try building a GUI around >>> that. Sure, JDS/GNOME could have a different authoritative location of >>> *PATH configuration and the stock dot files could preserve whatever >>> *PATH are set by the GUI environment, but when logging in without a GUI >>> you lose, or if you edit your dot files and do the wrong thing, you >>> lose. >>> >>> >> Why have an additional place? You lost me there. >> >> I'm all for updating the *default* path to include this stuf, so that >> the 'average' user doesn't have to go looking. >> I'm just against taking this tool (and it is a tool) away from the >> developers and users who know how to use it. >> > > If we can provide enough of an environment in /usr/bin that having it in > your PATH (and you generally would, no matter what you did with your dot > files) gets you a fairly complete environment, then that reduces the > need for complex PATH management. > > That's fine as long as the environment you provide is the one the users want. By front loading the environment with basicallyy everything, you're denying the user or the admin the ability to override your default environment.
It stops being a 'default' environment, and becomes the only environment. PATH allows users to configure their environment as they like it. Most set it once and forget it. If the only way to allow a user to avoid these tools, is to not install them, then that forces all users on the system to not have access to them also. Reducing the granularity is vastly restricting the flexibility and choice. -Kyle
