On Sat, May 08, 2004 at 06:55:54PM +0200, Kai Grossjohann wrote: > The default setup is to include /usr/bin before /usr/local/bin in > $PATH. This means that entering "lpr -Pfoo" doesn't work for printing > on my machine, I have to say "/usr/local/bin/lpr -Pfoo". > > It is obvious that I could change $PATH to mention /usr/local/bin > before /usr/bin, but is that the right solution? Surely there is a > reason for /etc/login.conf to mention /usr/bin first.
Most of the system assumes it's using the utilities that come with it: ie. the contents of /usr/bin. Equivalently named programs could well be installed into /usr/local/bin, and those need not behave exactly the same, so for consistencies' sake, having /usr/bin first is generally better. However, that's not always what's required, and putting /usr/local/bin before /usr/bin in your path might be the right solution for certain user accounts. (Real users, not system ones) > Any thoughts are very much appreciated. An alternative is to set up some shell aliases for those commands: % alias lpr /usr/local/bin/lpr Cheers, Matthew -- Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. 26 The Paddocks Savill Way PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey Marlow Tel: +44 1628 476614 Bucks., SL7 1TH UK
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