Re: /opt (Re: Berlin & FSSTND/FHS)
>I still wonder over that one... FHS 2.0 said /opt is being used on
>Solaris (for example) but it doesn't go into specifics.
>
>Now what if Sun installs anything into /opt? Do they? If so, why
>can't we?
I've got access to some Solaris 2.6 machines. I've got a machine with 4
/opt/SUN* directories, one with 3, and a few with 7. Each /opt/SUN* directory
corresponds to one Solaris package.
In Sun machines you install significant applications in /opt because:
1A) The package manager isn't much good and you will often want to hack things
around yourself.
1B) Solaris administrators generally aren't as skilled as Linux administrators
(NB I am not counting all the school-kids who play with Linux in this
comparison), and can't manage packages well.
2) Most applications aren't in a package format. For example Ingres is in a
single TAR archive which needs at least two passes to extract the files (you
extract the install/ directory and let the install program extract the rest).
Ingres should be shipping as a Solaris package for Sun architecture and Debian
or RPM packages for Linux. So the only way to remove Ingres is
"rm -rf /opt/ingres".
3) /usr/local gets too crowded with GNU stuff to be useful to the administrator
who would otherwise put things they compile themself in there. GNU software
binaries for Solaris comes in two forms. One form is in /opt/FSF* (which
requires adding all of /opt/FSF*/bin to your path or lots of sym-links). The
other is having everything in /usr/local.
Let's not copy Sun with regard to packaging and placement of programs. They
just aren't getting it right.
--
I am in London and would like to meet any Linux users here.
I plan to work in London until April and then move to another
place where the pay is good.
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