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freetds - Re: --- How to install FREETDS

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  • From: "Mark J. Lilback" <mark AT lilback.com>
  • To: "TDS Development Group" <freetds AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: --- How to install FREETDS
  • Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 11:57:10 -0500


At 9:35 AM -0600 10/18/2001, Darryl Friesen wrote:
That just goes without saying. What unix software packages _can_ you
install without being root? Even most binary distributions require you be
root before you can install them. You mention having the Sybase java stuff;
surely you must have been root to install that as well?

I install almost every package w/o being root. I change /usr/local permissions to allow the sysadmin group to have write permissions, that way I can have junior sys admins do work with root access.

Call me paranoid, but rarely will I ever let something run/install as root without knowing exactly what will happen. This is especially a problem with Apple's built-in installer on Mac OS X. It uses pax which has some really nasty bugs. There was a third party app that would trash all kinds of stuff when it installed. (I think the problem is something to do with symlinks.) Also, installers frequently change permissions in ways that I don't want them changed. (This happens when opening up tarballs, too.)

And java certainly doesn't have to be installed as root, as you get to specify where it should look for third party libraries (just like you can set your own LD_LIBRARY_PATH to access private libraries instead of the system ones).

The only thing that should have to be installed as root is something that needs to chown or make a file setuid. Proper permission tuning should be able to handle everything else.

--
__________________________________________________________________________
"They that can give up essential liberty
Mark J. Lilback to obtain a little temporary safety
<mark AT lilback.com> deserve neither liberty or safety."
http://www.lilback.com/ -- Benjamin Franklin




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