On 28-Dec-98 zentara wrote:
> Now I've seen people asking in comp.os.linux.misc
>
> } > Someone please explain why SuSE 5.2 makes /usr/X11R6/bin/X an alias
> } > to /var/X11R6/bin/X which points back to the server in
> /usr/X11R6/bin?
>
> Why isn't the link just in /usr/X11R6/bin pointing to the correct
> server?
>
> Is there some deep reason for this, or is it just some handdown method
> from Slackware?
The reason is not all that deep, and you can even regard it as an
irritating fussiness, but for what it's worth the reason, based on the
"Linux File System Standard", is:
Things under /usr are not supposed to be fiddled with "on the fly", lest
it disrupt the system.
Things under /var are stuff which may change at any time without
disrupting the system.
/usr/X11R6/bin/X is the not-to-be-fiddled-with place where xinit looks
for the X-server "X".
However, you may wish to play around with different X-server binaries,
which as executable binary regular files are, of course, in
/usr/X11R6/bin/.
So you may fiddle with different binaries by pointing variously to them
from /var/X11R6/bin/X, without changing /usr/X11R6/bin/X which always
points to /var/X11R6/bin/X. So the sacred inertia of /usr is preserved by
exploiting the permitted volatility of /var.
(I have to admit that I got used to older systems which simply had
/usr/X11R6/bin/X -> /usr/X11R6/bin/XF86_whatever, and have to make
a conscious effort to do it the new way; but since SuSE is set up this
way I prefer not to interfere with that).
Best wishes,
Ted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 29-Dec-98 Time: 02:03:05
--------------------------------------------------------------------
-
To get out of this list, please send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
this text in its body: unsubscribe suse-linux-e
Check out the SuSE-FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/ and the
archiv at http://www.suse.com/Mailinglists/suse-linux-e/index.html
