Re: The /source of the problem...or is that the /src?

["Eric G . Miller" <egm2@jps.net>]

On Thu, May 18, 2000 at 01:26:40AM +0000, montefin wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> After 6 weeks and a Slink->Potato upgrade, I've got to say I like Debian
> a whole lot and am definitely going to move it on up to the big box as
> soon as Potato goes stable and CD's are available...

Yea, it's not bad eh?

> But*, one tiny, core question remains. Which is it: /usr/src,
> /usr/local/source, /usr/local/src?

Who uses /usr/local/source?

> I don't know, maybe it's the 16 years of Catholic School. I came to
> Debian from Red Hat because I'd heard it was more 'canonical', more
> 'structured', closer to the 'soul' of Linux and open source. I wanted an
> underlying OS that would provide an almost liturgical standard that I
> could build upon, develop within, even 'commit sins' with, and still
> find it as steady as a rock and willing to forgive.
> 
> Some docs and HOWTO's say to build Linux in /usr/local/source; some
> mail, even from this list, mentions /usr/local/src; make-kpkg, I
> believe, builds into /usr/src. Sweet 'apt-get --configure source' will
> build where ever I happen to be at the moment.
> 
> I asked a well-debbed, not-to-be-named guru why this was and he told me
> so that Debian could avoid interference between what it configures and
> what some unknown third-party developer or I configure.
> 
> Well, here on the little test box, I chose to put the heads of all
> source-trees into /usr/local/source and symlink both /usr/src and
> /usr/local/src to /usr/local/source.
> 
> As I prepare to Debianize the big box, it would really help to know
> either 'The Correct Way' or 'The Reason(s) Why' for this most basic,
> initial, yet essential, decision. I want to start with as 'canonical' a
> box as possible so that I can truly be 'free' thereupon.
> 
> So. Which is it: /usr/src, /usr/local/source, /usr/local/src or all of
> the above and let the pieces fall where they may?

None of the above. I guess some things expect /usr/src/linux for
headers, but other than that, just create a spot in your home directory
(unless there's a reason you want to make the sources available).  Then
do the "./configure ; make ; su -c 'make install'" trilogy.  Supposedly
bad things can happen if you compile things as root (umm, a command like
(cd ../../.. ; rm -rf *.o *.so) in a Makefile clean could sure ruin your
day!).  Even deb kernels can be compiled as a normal user using
fakeroot.  The general distinction between /usr/local and the rest of
/usr under FHS is that /usr/local is the place for all non distribution-
maintained software (some would include /opt).

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