[plug] Easy Installation: Linux Desktop Market

[Craig Ringer]

Alex Nordstrom wrote:
> Thursday, 27 October 2005 10:57, Craig Ringer wrote:
> 
>>To me, the only really dumb thing is to configure an app you're
>>installing manually to install into the /usr tree. /opt or /usr/local
>>are there for a reason, and it's often not a great idea to be
>>treading all over the package manager's domain. It might well
>>overwrite some of the files you've installed later - but often not
>>all - causing all sorts of special fun down the track.
> 
> 
> Not every installation script readily lets you avoid clobbering the 
> package manager's part of the filesystem, though. Sun's JVM is 
> notorious for having to be installed in a chroot jail because it puts 
> things where it doesn't belong, for example.

That's true.

When I have to install bundled up binaries with shell-script installers, 
I often try to see what it'll do. I find it particularly useful to 
create any directories the script might require, assign ownership of 
them to myself, then run the script with `fakeroot' (if it thinks it 
needs to be root to run). Any funny business tends to show up in a hurry.

Similarly, it can be informative to unshar such packages (since they're 
often just a shell archive - *shudder*) and check out what they're going 
to try to install.

I dislike the trend toward binary installers. If they're going to make 
me run some random tool to install a product, the least these people 
could do is let me read it first so I can see what it'll do.

> /opt is not completely safe, either. Package managers are allowed to 
> install here according to the FHS, but must not overwrite manually 
> installed files.

I wonder how many obey THAT rule?

> While installing files manually, you're on your own to 
> ensure you don't overwrite anything you shouldn't. Yet another reason 
> the /opt tree is a Bad Idea, but don't get me started on that.

I'm in the habit of using /opt for some things, such as LTSP installs 
and other highly discrete packages where they all go into a single 
container directory. I find this makes for easier cleanups down the 
track, and it makes such things easier to archive and back up. Most 
other things I'll tend to drop into the /usr/local/ tree.

--
Craig Ringer