/opt hierarchy (was: /usr/local)

[Thomas Tanner]

Eero Tamminen wrote:
> Whereas /opt is standardized place for 3rd party software:
> http://www.pathname.com/fhs/pub/fhs-2.3.html#OPTADDONAPPLICATIONSOFTWAREPACKAGES

thanks! then let me rephrase my question:

why not have the same hierarchy as in /usr
(i.e. /opt/{bin,lib,share,...} ) and
* either install user application there directly
 to avoid clutter on root - which is AFAIK FHS compliant
* or use the current /opt/<package> structure
 and put the symlinks in the /opt hierarchy as GNU stow
 does for /usr/local.
For the /opt hierarchy just put /opt/bin in /etc/profile's $PATH,
/opt/lib in ld.so.conf and add /opt/share/{icons,theme,python}
to the respective search paths.

I've just found http://wiki.maemo.org/Opt_Problem
so I'll stop bothering you with probably the same old questions
unless you think it's worth continuing.

> Problematic issues would be how to deal with shared libraries,... 
> Direct invocations of binaries from scripts could also be problematic.

I do not really understand why those would be issues,
at least not with solution described above?

> (And if somebody would want more space for applications than is
> available on /home partition, he could change the /opt symlink to
> point to a memory card with suitable file system and prepare for
> the issues resulting from having programs on removable media...)

not necessary - I already got rid of the MyDocs FAT partition
and have a 28GiB /home with MyDocs as a loop device file.
we have a brainstorm for that issue
https://maemo.org/community/brainstorm/view/more_efficient_and_flexible_use_of_internal_flash/

best,
-- 
Thomas Tanner ------
email: tanner at gmx.de
GnuPG: 1024/5924D4DD