Linux & Slackware versions

[jrv at mbunix.mitre.org (Jim Van Zandt)]

lark at world.std.com (Lar Kaufman) writes:

>Red Hat, doesn't put things in /usr/local for example,
>because it doesn't think software controlled by RPM distribution should 
>be there.

Slackware has the same policy.  I agree with it, and I believe the
file system standard agrees.  A GNU package (for example) normally
install itself in /usr/local by default, on the assumption that users
are installing it because their distribution did not include it.  That
also enables a user to install a new distribution without disturbing
it.  When a distributor makes a program available, he is assuming
responsibility for administering it.  Therefore, it's appropriate for
him to put it in /usr/bin, etc which is in his area.  Thus, perl for
example was in /usr/local/bin in most systems for a while, but it's
now "moving" to /usr/bin now that it has been accepted, and
distributors have taken responsibility for administering it.

                       - Jim Van Zandt