>> /usr/local/mtools-2.0.7
>> /usr/local/X11R6
>> /usr/local/netpbm-1mar94
>> /usr/local/top-3.3beta
>> etc.
>> 
>Hmmm, sorry for only dropping in now, the above structure is great for
>humans, but what on earth is going to do to the poor shell that has to
>parse the $PATH etc. to make the system work? What will the impact on
>memory be, etc?
>

	You can deal with it by using symlinks from /usr/local/bin,
or with small scripts living in /usr/local/bin. Tha way humans and
shell can live together happily ;-)

>Or are we going some commercial o/s way and have a link farm to /usr/local/bin
>- shudder.
>

	Why don't you like that way (providing it's enough automatized).

>IF however the above structure is just for BUILDING the packages for
>installation - I hang my head in shame for not having the rest of the
>thread and will promptly go and stand in the corner (alone, without so much 
>as a teletype) for an hour.

	Of course, for building pkgs that strucutre is also usefull.
In fact, the directory of installation could (should?) be configurable
by the user installing the pkg. That way, somebody could put everithing
under /usr/local/mtools-2.0.7 (like Hubert), or under 
/usr/local/install/mtools-2.0.7 (like me) or directly under
/usr/local (may be like you?). (So, maybe youcan go to the corner for
just 15 minutes or something... ;-) )

		Jesus.

--
Jesus M. Gonzalez Barahona         | addr.:  c/ Butarque, 15
Grupo de Sistemas y Comunicaciones |         28911 Leganes, Spain
Departamento de Informatica        | tel: +34 1 624 94 58
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid   | fax: +34 1 624 94 30
e-mail: jgb@gsyc.inf.uc3m.es       | www: http://ordago.gsyc.inf.uc3m.es/~jgb