[Slackbuilds-users] Problems with g-wrap-1.9.6

[Rich Shepard]

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007, Robby Workman wrote:

> Here's my rationale (and it's shared by the rest of the SBo team):
> Software installed by a means other than packages needs to go to
> /usr/local so that it's easier to track.  Ideally, you build it in
> /usr/local/src (and leave the source directory there) so that if you
> ever need/want to uninstall it, you can go back to the source dir and
> call "make uninstall" (assuming the 'uninstall' target is present in
> the software's Makefile).
>
> On the other hand, when you build a package of some software and then
> install that package, the whole maintenance issue is, well, not an issue. 
> The package can be managed just like the remainder of the packages
> installed on the distribution.  Essentially, the distinction is something
> like this: packaged software goes in /usr (or perhaps
> /opt) while locally compiled (NON-PACKAGED) software goes in
> /usr/local.  Does that make sense?

Robby,

   Works for me. It's a protocol that the SBo has adopted, and that's
certainly reasonable. As you write, ...

> FWIW, the FHS is for the most part a good thing.  Some of the things it
> requires can be a bit ornery at times though, and as you've seen, some of
> the standards are open to interpretation.

   The FHS (I think it's also referred to as the LSB or Linux Standard Base)
removed the proprietary-UNIX-like differences we saw a decade ago. That's
when end-user applications came with the notice that they were tested on Red
Hat, Mandrake, and Debian. All others use at your own risk. Now we don't see
this because every distribution lined up and agreed to put system files in
the same directories, and directories in the same hierarchy.

   But, back then I learned that non-distribution applications should be
installed in /usr/local or /opt, and those should be separate partitions,
too. That way a complete system upgrade -- or change in distributions --
wouldn't wipe out the locally installed stuff. As you say, you pays your
money and you makes your choices. :-)

   One of the most powerful and amusing results of all this is the virulent
chest-thumping and territory marking by those who insist that their
distribution, text editor, X desktop manager, whatever is the One True
Way(TM) and everyone else is wrong. Notice how you don't hear Microserfs
talking about too many choices and having to make decisions on how their
systems are configured and work.

Thanks for the lesson,

Rich

-- 
Richard B. Shepard, Ph.D.               |    The Environmental Permitting
Applied Ecosystem Services, Inc.        |          Accelerator(TM)
<http://www.appl-ecosys.com>     Voice: 503-667-4517      Fax: 503-667-8863