> On Thu, Dec 14, 2006 at 02:48:14PM -0800, Danek > Duvall wrote: > > > But while the /usr/xpg[46] directories are a decent > jumping-off point for > > thinking about /usr/gnu, I'd be hesitant in > extending the analogy too far. > > The difference, I think, is in perception. > /usr/xpg[46] are very small and > precisely populated, and are likely to get even less > populated as what > functionality can be folded into the main utilities > is (now that it's been > made explicit that they can be and should). No one > could possibly mistake > them for being complete environments. I think that > most people see them > as being odd little warts that you can or should use > if you need special > behavior, and that most people don't. > > /usr/gnu, on the other hand, provides (for) a > well-known set of > functionality which, in a full implementation, > provides a near-complete > unix-like environment. (I agree that some method of > combining /usr and > /usr/gnu is necessary for a full Solaris experience, > but that's well beyond > the scope of this project.) > I'm in no way convinced that the analogy is a poor > one. Much of the > functionality of the GNU variants can (and probably > should) be > incorporated into the base programs as well. It's > unfortunate that > licensing precludes direct incorporation of the code, > but it's by no > means impossible to implement it independently. > There will remain > ncompatible options and behaviours, which ought to be > the rationale > for /usr/gnu. >
Resuming this discussion after a lengthy hiatus: The default path for users is and has been for years /usr/bin, although some of the windowing systems may modify this upon graphical login. As was discussed in some length in the "Facilitating Serendipitous Discovery" ARC case, attempting to classify command line interfaces by segregating them into separate directories has turned out simply not to work. Any classification advantages disappear after the initial discovery of a useful command in a new directory; that new directory is added to one's path and all other commands in that directory are now found automatically. As a result, I feel that the sole reason for using alternate directories is to provide different versions of commands with the same name. Any user wishing to use the gnu alternate versions by default will need to set their path to /usr/gnu/bin:/usr/bin. Since adding the trailing /usr/bin is essential (there are no gnu versions of many essential Solaris commands), there is nothing to be gained by attempting to classify the origin of commands using their directory. This also implies that the default path of /usr/bin will continue to provide all the needed commands regardless of origin for those users who continue to use the default path of /usr/bin. Some may argue that this produces asymmetric results; since there is a gnu version of tac but no Solaris version, a user with the default path setting of /usr/bin would find the gnu version of tac (due to it's non-conflicting placement in /usr/bin) but the Solaris version of cat. However, the same situation occurs already today with xpg4 commands; some Solaris commands are xpg4 and some are not. - Bart -------- Bart Smaalders This message posted from opensolaris.org
