Bob Marcan wrote:
Adam Cooper wrote:
Robin Laing
All a guide is just that, a guide, by default anything installed by the os is installed into the /usr/lib but anything installed by third party companies, lets say mozilla, are installed into, depending how you are installing it, preferably installing it as root, you could conceivably install it anywhere you want. But if you install it as a user, the only place where you could install it is in the /home/user_name directory. So by token when you install an app switch to the root account and install it where you want, not just the defaults, the app will give an option where you would like it installed, just to keep with standards . Then make a link to the location, in /usr/bin to location of the app. Just as with the original. A lot of work but it is worth it, if you want to keep with standards.
I am ranting, sorry.
Ranting is allowed. :)
As this issue is being discussed on the FHS list, some interesting issues have arrisen. Remember, I am looking at this issue from comparing between distributions and ease of trouble shooting application problems.
It is easy to look at one distro but when you want to share /home/<user> across distros, the problem of configuration files and sym-links in the <users> directory become a problem. I look at Open Office and Mozilla as two applications. One person on the FHS list brought up the issue of Wine as well.
I also look at the problems that I have run into in regards to this problem where someone installs an update or later version that isn't using an RPM that uses a different directory. This can and has caused problems for me in the past. The number of times I have had to search and edit some configuration files for some link to the wrong directory.
I feel the easiest way to deal with different distros is to create sym-links to the default locations that the application installs from the maintainers site.
This will be an issue for many home users as Linux usage grows and could be a roadblock to growth and support from hardware/software suppliers. At least this is my opinion.
I now know what to look for and I have a way to fix the problem. I hope the standards become clearer to lesson this problem.
-- Robin Laing
