There, it moved again (Re: horse carcas flogging (was: traceroute in /usr/bin, not /usr/sbin)
On Mon, Jun 18, 2001 at 01:41:56AM -0400, Rene Weber wrote:
> Hello,
>
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2001 at 01:29:24AM +0200, Manfred Wassmann wrote:
> > The FHS isn't clear at all. It is totally ambiguos in this point becasue
> > it doesn't define neither user nor system administrator. When you look
>
> Now, that's actually a decent argument, thank you for bringing that up.
No it isn't. The FHS is about files, not users.
My 2c on this is that a user on a computer running the unix operating system
should get a genuine unix environment, the abstract unix interface. In this
sense, there is no disk geometry, no bus layout, no memory model - and no
network topology, the network is transparent.
All the general-purpose utilities such a user expects to find in "bin".
Call these "user commands".
Then there is the matter of the physical aspects of the system. The nice
abstract user interface does not come for free, it needs maintenance and
shielding from the evil irregular outside world. For these purposes, there
exist some commands that deal with the physical aspects of the system.
Call these "administrative commands"
To not confuse the unsuspecting user, these commands are placed in a seperate
directory "sbin".
Of course, it is always possible that some user wants to step outside of the
comfortable abstract unix interface. This is allowed, but it is not part of
the general "unix experience". So the user should not expect to find support
for his endeavours in the standard "bin" directory.
For their own convenience, these "daring" users may find it pleasurable to
add the "sbin" directories to their PATH environment variable. If this is
conceptually challenging, typing the full path name will also do.
This is just my opinion, I am not solliciting a lengthy reply with footnotes.
Have a good day.
Cheers,
Joost
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