Christopher Faylor wrote:
> I don't think I ever gave an opinion on the /usr/bin vs. > /usr/X11R6/bin. My preference is that all official X stuff goes in > /usr/X11R6/bin but that seems to be counter to the way most modern > distributions do things. > > So, I don't know that we have an actual policy. I was one of the main proponents of "all the other dists put everything into /usr/bin, so we should too". Earnie raised the issue about "binaries that can exist as either X- or MS-native-windowing, but not simultaneously as both in a single executable (e.g. rxvt). I said fuhgeddaboutit until we actually SEE the problem. And then I saw the problem. tcl/tk. The cygwin version that is currently distributed uses MS-native windowing, for lots of very good reasons. It is installed into /usr/bin, /usr/include, /usr/lib. But what if I want to build an X-based application with tk? I'd need a X-based tk -- which obviously cannot go into /usr/bin, /usr/include, and /usr/lib. So, now I think that REGARDLESS of what "those other distributions do", we should segregate X- linked apps and libraries into /usr/X11R6/. Very few other platforms have multiple windowing environments to deal with. The closest similarities I can think of are: 1) X- and terminal-. Two common solutions: a) single binary, operates in either mode (FSF-Emacs) b) two different binaries with different names (vim, gvim) 2) X- and svgalib-. a) Two different binaries with the same name; only one may be installed on a system at a time (Mandrake's graphical Aurora bootup) b) two different binaries with different names (????) 3) "regular X" and "gtk" a) two different binaries with the same name; only one installed on the system at a given time (XEmacs. In fact, Mandrake for instance ONLY provides the gtk version; the normal X- version is no longer available officially). But, these are all VERY rare. Of the thousands of apps out there, most are JUST terminal, or JUST X-, or JUST svgalib. The conflicts just haven't happened often enough for the distributions to come up with a cohesive plan -- they just seem to special case the rare conflicts. I think Earnie's right: these problems will not be rare for us. We want native-windowing apps, and we want X-windowing apps, and sometimes, we want the same program in either/both/ forms (tk, XEmacs, rxvt, gtk(?), etc). To see a real comparison between what "they" do and what we do, imagine what would happen if Berlin or W or another 2nd-generation X became really popular... So, finally, in summary, IMO, X- linked apps should be compiled and installed with --prefix=/usr/X11R6/ --Chuck
