Subject: Re: DEC uses NetBSD
To: John Birrell <jb@cimlogic.com.au>
From: Giles Lean <giles@nemeton.com.au>
List: current-users
Date: 03/20/1997 20:58:25
On Thu, 20 Mar 1997 18:20:25 +1100 (EST)  John Birrell wrote:

Someone wrote:
> > 2) Nobody could agree on where "stuff" should get installed.

> This seems to be the issue that NetBSD always stumbles on.
> I happily use FreeBSD's system which populates /usr/local. Beyond
> that I don't care. Let's do a monkey-see-monkey-do on this one.

Seconded.

It is easier to build most "off the net" packages to install into
/usr/local so port and package creation is easier.  Even when it is
someone else's pain, minimise it!

People who care enough about using /local or /opt instead can do so,
at the cost of configuring their own software.

I am just finishing working on a site with a centralised software
repository that installs onto /usr/local on SunOS and /opt/local on
Solaris(*).  This has increased my work building packages by about
60%, to little discernible benefit.

Do it the easy way, please, even if just this time!

Giles

P.S. With the FreeBSD ports tree the distfiles are untouched source as
originally distributed, so you always have the option of rolling your
own from untouched source.  (Just in case not everyone knew this. :)