Re: [PLUG] One app, one directory, no install/uninstall...

[brent timothy saner via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org>]

On 5/18/20 19:13, Fred Stluka via plug wrote:
> VMS, DOS, Mac OS X and Java have it right.  Unzip the files into
> a new folder and run the app.  Delete it when you you no longer
> need it.  Combine that with updates to env vars like PATH and
> MANPATH, and what more do we really need?
> 
> The only real need for an install program is to share single
> copies of library files and such, right?  Seems like there ought
> to be a better way....
> 
> Thoughts?
> 

The FHS exists for several reasons, and good ones at that:

1.) being on a linux system and have knowledge where files are located

2.) shared libs work properly, ensuring easier updating paths

3.) "...support interoperability of applications, system administration
tools, development tools, and scripts as well as greater uniformity of
documentation for these systems."[0]

With FHS, when I'm checking the presence of a binary to see if something
is supported, I just need to check e.g. /usr/bin in the native language
- in python, for instance, a simple "if BINNAME in os.listdir('/usr/bin'):".

If things aren't in their standard places (e.g. Gobo), now I have to either:

- Check each dir in $PATH (for d in os.environ.get('PATH').split(':'):
os.listdir(d)), or

- fork out a NEW process to call which(1)

assuming I'm even *accounting* for that. Most programmers won't. It
makes code messy, it's inefficient, and it's just plain a PITA.


I'm of the strong opinion that one oughtn't try to make Linux like
Windows. They're different, they have different design goals, and there
are certain expectations within those differences in designs. Not even
assumptions - expectations.

Breaking the design so it resembles another design is like designing a
car interior to look like the cockpit of a helicopter. It serves no
purpose except novelty, and teaches wrong expectations.


[0] https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/index.html

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