Linux install question - to install systemwide or not?

hi,

I'm enjoying the wealth of different installation options for linux, particularly Mithro's new deb packages. it's getting better all the time!

I'd like to try building from source again, just for fun, though, and just wanted to ask whether it's ok to set up the build to install in system wide locations, as in Mithro's debs, or whether it's better to sandbox it in the user's home directory and set the environment variables, etc.

thanks,

--skullmunky

Definately DO ***NOT*** install to the system files.

Doing so will leave you in a state where both the debs and the normal system don't work and the only solution will be a complete re-install.

I repeat definitely DO ***NOT*** install to the system files.

Mithro

thanks. in the debs, then, where does everything go ... ?

i notice also the straight-up ogre install directions give you the ogre plugins in, i think, /usr/local/lib/OGRE (or was it /usr/lib/OGRE), and a lot of the other stuff (CEGUI, etc. ) in /usr/lib or /usr/local/lib.

is that ok, or also dangerous? or is the real issue with the python bindings and the custom boost, etc. parts that are used to generate them?

sorry for all the questions, i'm just trying to wrap my head around this

in the debs, where does everything actually get installed?

The debs install to /usr/lib. Debian packages are the *only* thing which should install to /usr/lib if you want your system to be stable. This has nothing to do with Python, it has to do with fundamentals of running a packaged managed system.

The basic reason is that Debian packages are "safe" is that include enough information so that everything that was installed/created can be uninstalled. It also contains information about what is installed so that it can track dependencies.

If you where to install something in /usr/lib yourself it would leave your system in an inconsistent state and *strange things will happen*. How would the package management system know you had install it either? If you go down this route you will have to reinstall your system every 6 months, just like Windows as stuff slowly builds up and things stop working.

Always install stuff compile from source to /usr/local or preferably it's own directory in /opt. The default instructions for a self compiled ogre goes to /home/<username>/development which is also okay.

ah, ok. thanks!