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TiagoTiago is offline TiagoTiago
2010-10-12 , 03:21
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#1
For ages now just about every program you install in Windows got an option in the install proccess to let you choose to install it in a different folder, why the **** it isn't like that in Linux?


This feels like another example of lazyness like the Y2K bug thing, but instead of the colapse of modern society now we gotta suffer with prograns installing into the extremelly limited internal drive....
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stlpaul is offline stlpaul
2010-10-12 , 03:27
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#2
But it is like that in Linux! When you compile a program you can almost always define the install directory. No problem.

Most linux Distro are built around FHS, and your distro's maintainers chose where to install the packages and when you are installing a pre-packaged binary, you're going by their rules.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesys...archy_Standard

Windows doesn't (really) have a well-defined filesystem layout, so stuff goes all over the place, PATH craziness, DLL hell, etc.

You can also symlink the files/directories to another place if you want to relocate it.
 

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NvyUs is offline NvyUs
2010-10-12 , 03:28
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#3
OP what solution are you proposing, how do you think it can be implemented?
looking forward to testing out you work.
 
TiagoTiago is offline TiagoTiago
2010-10-12 , 03:30
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#4
What is so bad with installing anywhere I want, and having the option of adding folders to PATH when needed?
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wmarone is offline wmarone
2010-10-12 , 03:32
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#5
Originally Posted by TiagoTiago View Post
What is so bad with installing anywhere I want, and having the option of adding folders to PATH when needed?
Because you're using a distribution which is designed to have software installed using a package manager. If you want to stick things anywhere you want, use something like LFS or Slackware. The side effect is you end up with a ton of extra entries in your path, and gain absolutely nothing.
 

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aligatro is offline aligatro
2010-10-12 , 03:34
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#6
Actually, it really depends on the installer. For example, Google earth lets you choose where to install.
 
gerbick
2010-10-12 , 03:37
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#7
Originally Posted by wmarone View Post
Because you're using a distribution which is designed to have software installed using a package manager. If you want to stick things anywhere you want, use something like LFS or Slackware. The side effect is you end up with a ton of extra entries in your path, and gain absolutely nothing.
I promise you that I'm not following you around today... but at first, I used to think (the bolded part) was a sign of conformity - but after almost a decade and a half of using Linux... you're right.

Installing in a ton of self-prescribed places in Linux, you gain absolutely nothing.
 
TiagoTiago is offline TiagoTiago
2010-10-12 , 03:43
Posts: 1,522 | Thanked: 392 times | Joined on Jul 2010 @ São Paulo, Brazil
#8
By installing wherever you want you gain freedom


Why adding lines to a path file is so much worse than manually moving and symlinking folders and files?
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Last edited by TiagoTiago; 2010-10-12 at 03:47.
 
wmarone is offline wmarone
2010-10-12 , 03:43
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#9
Originally Posted by gerbick View Post
I promise you that I'm not following you around today... but at first, I used to think (the bolded part) was a sign of conformity - but after almost a decade and a half of using Linux... you're right.

Installing in a ton of self-prescribed places in Linux, you gain absolutely nothing.
It is, after all, why package managers were created. To let computers do the business of managing stuff that's installed on your system for you. The sort of thing computers are supposed to do.

About the only time not doing that is when you're using stuff that can't be installed via the package manager. Most common tool I see these days doing that is the Xilinx ISE/EDK suite, which installs itself quite cleanly into /opt.

Originally Posted by TiagoTiago View Post
By installing wherver you want you gain freedom
I suppose, but there are far more important freedoms than randomly smattering your software around the filesystem. And nothing stops you, in any case.
Last edited by wmarone; 2010-10-12 at 03:46.
 

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TiagoTiago is offline TiagoTiago
2010-10-12 , 03:46
Posts: 1,522 | Thanked: 392 times | Joined on Jul 2010 @ São Paulo, Brazil
#10
And if we got a package manager, why it can't manage to keep a record of where things are installed?
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