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  • From: James K. Lowden <jklowden AT speakeasy.org>
  • To: "TDS Development Group" <freetds AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: UG clarification
  • Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 22:32:29 -0400


On Wed, 12 Jun 2002 14:28:10 -0400 "Brian Bruns" <camber AT ais.org> wrote:

> > Seems to me, based on what you and Steve said, that
> >
> > ./configure --with-prefix=/usr/local
> >
> > would be a better default option than what we have now (and is what
> > the RPMs do), and
> >
> > ./configure --with-prefix=/usr/local --sysconfdir=/etc/freetds
> >
> > makes the most sense to me.
[...]
> > If you're interested/willing to make one of those changes, I think
> > 0.60 is a good time to do it. It would remove one step from the
> > installation and about 400 words from the UG.
>
> I'll have to look at the FHS and see what they say. Of course, not all
> *nix systems are FHS compliant, but Linux and (some) BSD aim to be, so
> it's probably a good default.I agree that the version bump is a good
> time to change this type of default.

Oooo! Teacher, Pick ME! (Says the donkey. Cf. Shrek)

http://www.pathname.com/fhs/2.2/fhs-3.7.html

"/etc contains configuration files and directories that are specific to
the current system"

As for the hierarchy under /usr/local:

[quote]
The following directories, or symbolic links to directories, must be in
/usr/local

"/usr/local" "Local hierarchy"
bin Local binaries
games Local game binaries
include Local C header files
lib Local libraries
man Local online manuals
sbin Local system binaries
share Local architecture-independent hierarchy
src Local source code

No other directories, except those listed below, may be in /usr/local
after first installing a FHS-compliant system.
[end quote]

IOW, no /usr/local/etc, per FHS at any rate. I say

./configure --with-prefix=/usr/local --sysconfdir=/etc/freetds

looks like a winner. What do you say?

The reason I'm so keen on that arrangement is the Principle of Least
Surprise. The naïve user issues "./configure" and goes on his merry way.
He's never heard about ldconfig, and he's not going to from us, because
his libs land in a completely predictable (even by ld) place, and he finds
his .conf files in /etc/freetds, just as he finds for instance his Apache
files in /etc/httpd. The clever user with the highly contorted fs knows
about /etc/ld.so.conf and doesn't need a tutorial from us. That's two
wins for the documentation hack (moi).

--jkl




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