Standalone packages that install outside of PREFIX

["J. Lewis Muir" <jlmuir%imca-cat.org@localhost>]

(Starting a new thread from "Re: The sad state of pkgsrc [was Re:
pkgsrc NetBSD 7.0.1_PATCH/x86_64 2016-09-04 11:03]" to tech-pkg@ and
pkgsrc-users@.)

On 09/07, Alistair Crooks wrote:
> On 7 September 2016 at 13:59, Joerg Sonnenberger <joerg%bec.de@localhost> wrote:
> > On Wed, Sep 07, 2016 at 07:59:10PM +0200, Hauke Fath wrote:
> > > On Tue, 6 Sep 2016 22:46:36 +0200, Joerg Sonnenberger wrote:
> > > >> shells/standalone-tcsh                       agc%NetBSD.org@localhost
> > > >
> > > > Doesn't honour PREFIX.
> > >
> > > Because it installs to "/"?
> > >
> > > False positive - that's just what the pkg exists for. And it's among
> > > the first three packages I install on any machine I get to administer.
> > > Shells are special that way.
> >
> > It is not and they are not. It is the single package in the pkgsrc that
> > violates one of the most basic premises -- nothing installs outside of
> > prefix. But that topic has been discussed before and reiterating it is
> > not going to change the mind of the minority.
> >
> > Joerg
> 
> standalone-tcsh does not install anything outside $PREFIX; it redefines
> $PREFIX.
> 
> Please just accept that people are using it, and have huge objections to
> changing what is a basic tool for them.
> 
> Thanks,
> Alistair

I'm not a fan of so-called "standalone" pkgsrc packages that install
outside of PREFIX, but I understand that some people don't see it
that way.  So, what about a pkginstall framework variable like
STANDALONE_PREFIX (or PKG_STANDALONEDIR or a set of PKG_STANDALONEBIN,
etc., or ?) which could be set to '/' by default to not break backward
compatibility, but that could be set to PREFIX by those that don't want
them to install outside of PREFIX?  The package's INSTALL script would
then install to the correct location.

Regards,

Lewis