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Re: [LUG] Migrating to Linux



On Saturday 27 November 2004 4:13 pm, Rob Beard wrote:
Where am I supposed to put applications?

Packages have their own locations set in the package itself. You can see a 
list by using commands like rpm -ql or dpkg -L - each type of program file is 
installed in privileged folders for that kind of data.

As you're on Mandrake, use the command:
man rpm
to make sure you have the right options - it's been a while since I used any 
RPM based distribution.

In most cases, the files are installed in a parent directory using the name of 
the program as the subdirectory. The parent depends on the type of file:
Binaries: /usr/bin
Documentation: /usr/share/
Configuration: /etc/
Runtime: /var
and a few others.

Windows is easy with it's 
'Program Files' folder,

False sense of security. Program Files is a misnomer - only a fraction of the 
program files go there - the most troublesome program files are .dll's 
installed in the system folders - and all the config goes into the dumpster 
called Registry. If you delete the Program Files sub folder for application 
X, you only remove a portion of the installed program - you prevent yourself 
running the program but large parts are still present. 

but on Linux, I never know where the right place 
to put things are?

When you install using a package, the locations are pre-set. In effect, until 
you start writing your own code, you hardly need to know where the right 
places are.

When you install from a source tarball and compile the program, it can be 
configured. Generally, if you don't specify 
it, /usr/local/bin, /usr/local/share etc.

That's the general method but programs like Mozilla, like lots of 
platform-independent stuff, may use their own methods.

I've got Mozilla Thunderbird on a Linux Magazine cover CD, its a
slightly older version but it saves me a download for now.  The file is
a tar.gz file, and when I open it I get a folder with a load of files
in, but no obvious installation script.

http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/releases/
Extract the compressed archive and run thunderbird

If not, check with the magazine for the cover CD.

Could anyone suggest a good place to copy the files to?

You probably don't need to copy them anywhere manually.

-- 

Neil Williams
=============
http://www.codehelp.co.uk/
http://www.dclug.org.uk/
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http://sourceforge.net/projects/isbnsearch/

http://www.biglumber.com/x/web?qs=0x8801094A28BCB3E3

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