Proper Location for Linux Builds

Wed Apr 29 12:40:03 EDT 2009

Peter,

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question so fully and
completely.  Your answer and my research is showing that things are
going to be a little more difficult on the Linux side for distribution.

So I guess the next question is what is the best method for
distribution?  Should I package my program into a custom made
wizard-style installer?  Or should I just gzip my program's folder and
let the user put the programs folder where they want?

I'm fine with both methods, but I'm trying to find the method that works
best for each System.  On Windows, I have a Setup Wizard that creates
the Shortcuts, Uninstaller and places the program in the proper
location.  On the Mac, the user "drags" the program the Applications folder.

What method for Revolution Standalones is be best for Linux?

Or, what is the most 'accepted' method?

Derek Bump
Dreamscape Software
http://www.dreamscapesoftware.com

___________________________________________________________________
Compress your photos quickly and easily with JPEGCompress 2.9!
http://www.dreamscapesoftware.com/products/jpegcompress/

Peter Alcibiades wrote:
> You will find bits of a typical Linux program all over the place, so no,
> there is not any place which corresponds to the Program Files directory. 
> This is why your distribution typically comes with a package manager, and a
> repository.  The package manager will download all the bits that a given
> program needs (the so-called 'dependencies'), check for conflicts, and it
> will then install them all in the right places, which may vary from
> distribution to distribution.  
> 
> You'll always find something in /usr/bin.  But what you find there is not
> really 'the program' in the Windows or Mac sense, its mostly not all that
> the program needs to have on your computer to run.
> 
> This is because there often is no such thing as 'the program' in the windows
> sense.  The program will be a chunk of code which uses other chunks of code,
> library files and so on. 
> 
> As an example, suppose you want to install a given KDE program - kwriter,
> and suppose you have installed no other KDE programs up to now.  If you look
> at the binaries for kwriter you find they are quite small.  But when you go
> to install it through the package manager, you find that 100 Mbytes or so is
> coming down.  Then when you look in /usr/bin you see only one small file for
> kwriter.  What happened?  Where did all the rest of that stuff go, and what
> was it?  Well, to work, it needed a lot of other stuff, the package manager
> got it all for you, put it in all the right places.  And also put kwriter in
> usr/bin and probably did some menu entries while it was at it.  Its not a
> right description of what happened to say that 'the program' was installed
> in the Linux equivalent of 'Program Files', its just that it is called
> /usr/bin.  That's not a useful way of looking at what happened.
> 
> The same underlying phenomenon is why when you do a system update on Debian
> you find yourself getting and installing hundreds or thousands of files. 
> You are updating all the applications on the system as well as what, in
> Windows terms, you would think of as the OS.
> 
> So where to put Rev?  Or programs you have written in Rev?  They are
> different.  They aren't part of the distribution.  They really can go in a
> program folder which contains all they need for them to run (besides the OS
> proper).   
> 
> It depends if there will only be one user.  In that case, put it in that
> user's home directory.  
> 
> If any user account on the computer is to have access to it, put it in /opt. 
> Make sure that the privileges are correctly set for whichever use you have
> in mind.  In most file managers, right click > properties to set them.  Then
> put links to the programs in a launcher to save the user having to enter the
> full file path every time. 
> 
> Hope this helps.  I am not a real Linux guru by the way, so corrections from
> the better informed are welcome if its misleading.
> 
> Peter
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Derek Bump - Dreamscape Software wrote:
>> Hello All,
>>
>> I've been experimenting with my Enterprise License on Linux and I've run
>> into a mystery (to me, anyways).  Where is the default location for
>> programs?
>>
>> On Windows it's the "Program Files" directory.  On the Mac it's the
>> "Applications" folder.  Does Linux have such a default folder?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>>
>> Derek Bump
>> Dreamscape Software
>> http://www.dreamscapesoftware.com
>>
>> ___________________________________________________________________
>> Compress your photos quickly and easily with JPEGCompress 2.9!
>> http://www.dreamscapesoftware.com/products/jpegcompress/
>>
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> 