[NTLUG:Discuss] Sysadmin type question: Where should programs go?

[Chris Cox]

Ralph Green, Jr. wrote:
> Chris,
>   How do you decide what is large and what is
> wrong with using /opt?  What kind of trouble
> might this cause?  I would normally use /usr/local
> for something like an email program.  Textmaker,
> from softmaker shows /opt as the first choice of
> where to install their package.  Textmaker is not
> that large a package, and I figured they must know
> something when they made that suggestion.  Are you
> drawing the line because textmaker is distributed
> as binaries and thunderbird may well be compiled
> for the system?

Consider...
Ralph's Mozilla build goes into /usr/local
Ubuntu's Mozilla build goes into /opt (not sure if that
where it would go... just an example)

The idea is to separate local build/dist from
product/vendor build/dist.  Otherwise you might
collide with that vendor/dist package.

Now.. Textmaker is a product... and IF you are going
with the SW vendor vs. going with a distribution's
Textmaker, then certainly the vendor package is free
to use /opt.... the collision is something you just
have to avoid by policy (e.g. we are a textmaker shop,
BUT we only use the official textmaker software from
Softmaker).

Of course, you can put it into /opt anyhow... there's just
a greater likelihood for collision with either
the distribution's package or the vendor's
package.

That's why I'd avoid putting stuff into /opt.  I wouldn't
use /usr for the same reason (/usr/local.... being
the exception under /usr).  Just trying to avoid
conflict.