On Fri, 24 May 2002, Shaul Karl wrote:

> > On Fri, 24 May 2002, Eli Segal wrote:
> >
> > > I install there all the optional software, espacially the one with the
> > > sources ...
> > > then, when i want to format and install everything or just to erase some
> > > package
> > > i can do it easily without loosing anything
> >
> > /opt/pckagename is intended to give a separate name space to seeprate
> > packages. For instance, suppose want to have both KDE2 and KDE3 on the
> > same system. If you have originally thought you may want to do that, you'd
> > place QT and KDE under /opt/kde[23] (This is what SuSE does, IIRC).
> >
> > But for a relatively small, RPM-packaged, package this seems pointless.
> > Recall that it is easy to remove such a package (unless you have
> > problematic pre/post scripts. Those scripts should not be normally used,
> > as a rule of thumb). You also need to add it to your PATH LD_LIBRARY_PATH
> > (or ld.so.conf), MANPATH (or man's conf) and watever.
> >
> > I personally place RPM-based packages under /usr .
> >
>
>
> The FHS explicitly states that local packages should be placed in
> /usr/local or /opt. The rational is that a packaging system like deb or
> rpm has the freedom to do whatever it wants in /usr. /usr/local and
> /opt are shielded from this freedom. As a result I believe that tar
> balls should be installed in /usr/local or /opt.

FSH standards/recomendations are for those who distribute systems. when I
build my own system/systems I make my own rules, and I am free to adopt
whatever part of the standards I chose. (This does not mean that I
disrespect the standards, please read on)

> Yet I wonder
> 1. Whether an RPM that is put on the net can be considered a local
>    package.

A good question. I tend to label my home-made packages with a revision
number label of "local" (instead of the "mdk" as used by Mandrake).
Therefore I know that those are my own packages.

An rpm I downloaded "from the net" is something I try to inspect before
installing. Expcially its installation (and uninstallation!) scripts,
because there is no automatic verification of those.

> 2. Whether it is desirable to put a package that uses the packaging
>    system services outside the central control of the packaging system.
> Maybe the test for RPMs should be the long time support: Only when the
> packager intend to support the package for a long time then it should
> be put in /usr.

Since I don't have apt, and currently urpmi doesn't work well for me, that
point is not relevant.

I have no choice but to rely on the packages dependencies, and on my
memory...

>
> As for avoiding using the pre/post scripts there are many situations
> where there is not much choice. For example, when removing a daemon
> package you want to remove the service in a clean manner before
> actually removing it.

However, in most cases you do have a choice. If you can do it in the
%install script: do it there. If you think you can't: try thinking harder
;-)

> In addition, due to the fact that creating those
> scripts makesthe packaging process somewhat more complicated I would
> say that packagers will not use those scripts unless they have to.
>

-- 
Tzafrir Cohen
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.technion.ac.il/~tzafrir



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