On Tuesday 18 December 2007 04:06:00 pm Mike Miller wrote: > On Tue, 18 Dec 2007, Dan Rue wrote: > > With respect, I think you missed the point. > > I don't doubt you! > > > Sure, it's possible to do these things in Linux. It's an open source > > OS, you can do whatever you want. > > But can you do it without changing source code and recompiling anything? > If it's just a matter of setting file permissions, something like that, it > isn't much of a big deal. I mean, you wouldn't really choose an OS based > on some of its defaults when those settings could have been configured > however you wanted, right? > > > But in FreeBSD, it's not only default, it's very strict and the same no > > matter who's maintaining the machines (unless they go out of their way > > to break it, that is). > > So it's more than just configuration. > > > So if linux packages by default go in /usr/local, what goes in /? I > > know linux configs always go to /etc. I imagine some packages will > > install to /bin, and some to /usr/local/bin? Is it just ad-hoc based on > > the mood of the maintainer? This is what I mean by having a *strict* > > hierarchy. A freebsd port maintainer would get beat if they installed > > something to /etc, or to /bin, or to /lib, .. etc. > > I really don't know the answers to all of these questions. I have mostly > been working on Linux systems that are maintained by others (e.g., MSI > supercomputers) and I actually do this: > > ./configure prefix=/home/myhomedir/local > > I compile everything and decide where it goes. So I haven't been using > packages on Linux. That will change shortly, I'm sure! > > I'm getting the impression that package installation in Linux can be > pretty haphazard. > > Mike > In most linux distros the package management does not install stuff in to /usr/local Configs go in /etc binaries in /usr/bin, but you need to understand that's there's just really no difference between ls and apache in linux, they are both 3rd party apps. To put them in different places would introduce an artificial distinction that isn't really there. In the BSD's ls is developed with the OS, apache is not, ls is in /bin, apache is in /usr/local Your use case of compiling everything by hand doesn't extend well to production environments at all....not having things under package management of some sort quickly turns in to a nightmere to maintain. -- Thanks, Josh Paetzel PGP: 8A48 EF36 5E9F 4EDA 5A8C 11B4 26F9 01F1 27AF AECB -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 187 bytes Desc: This is a digitally signed message part. Url : http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20071218/3613c111/attachment.pgp