Chris Gehlker wrote:
> Youse guys are all woosies! Consider that MacOS has:
> 1)    A place for programs that Apple manages. Software Update will 
> happily stomp all over this.
> 2)    Another place for stuff you compile yourself.
> 3)    A third place were apt-get puts programs
> 4)    Yet another place where ordinary users are encouraged to install 
> programs by drag-and-drop.
> 5)    Some overlap between 1 and 4
...
> Now my ideal Linux setup would follow the original Unix model and only 
> put programs absolutely essential to operation of the machine in places 
> like /bin or /sbin. Everything else would go under /usr/local/compiled 
> or /usr/local/apt-gotten depending.
> 
> Actual Linux is not that far from the ideal.

As I recall UNIX vendors (I don't know who I mean by that) at one time agreed 
that they would all install their software in /opt/ so maybe the layout for 
Linux looks like:

1) Distro managed software (wherever the package maintainer determines is best)
2) Things you compile on your own (/usr/local)
3) Third party, non distro maintained apps (/opt)

People tend not to use opt though ... well ... that may not be true ... it may 
be that third party apps cost money and I typically try to avoid spending that.

Austin