Re: mkfs in /sbin, mkisofs in /usr/bin (was: Re: Intent To Split: netbase
On Thu, 17 Aug 2000, Marcus Brinkmann wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 17, 2000 at 11:26:17AM -0500, Manoj Srivastava wrote:
> >
> > The things that we do put in /sbin, for the same reasons, we
> > expect that the average user will not use them and might be confused
> > by encountering them. For example, mkfs and fsck and so forth are in
> > /sbin. Anyone can use these, on a file or on a device they have
> > permissions for. It's not that we expect only root to use these, but
> > that we expect anyone who wanted to use them to probably know enough
> > about the system to be root (or at least enough more than the average
> > user that they can handle putting /sbin in their path).
>
> There is some inconsistency here.
>
> ulysses:~# which mkisofs
> /usr/bin/mkisofs
> ulysses:~# which mke2fs
> /sbin/mke2fs
I disagree. You *NEED* to have a copy of mke2fs in the root filesystem
in case /usr or any other mounted filesystem gets whacked. OTOH, you
probably won't be mastering any CD images while your system is crippled,
so having mkisofs in /usr is not inconsistent.
The reason that mkisofs is not in /sbin is because /sbin should be
reserved for things the core OS needs to have all of the time on the root
partition. If you start putting mkisofs and the like in /sbin, then you
have the problem of / growing over time. If you put mke2fs in /usr, then
you're going to wish that you hadn't one day.
I'm not sure that I understand this entire thread. Much of "where files
go" is based on history/tradition, and like it or not, most of
Linux/Debian's heritage is based on how the various Unices have solved
certain problems over the past 25 years or so. Change is good, but only
when folks understand why they're changing things, insted of being too
lazy to add something to their PATH or learn where (and *why*) commands
are where they are. (Sorry, this really isn't intended to flame anyone,
but it seems that -devel gets off on the weirdest tangents sometimes.)
tony
tony@mancill.com | Time after time we lose sight of the way.
http://www.debian.org | Our causes can't see their effects.
| (Neil Peart)
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