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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Of course these are “general”
guidelines as mentioned by others.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>It isn’t really unusual to see “distribution”
files in /usr/local or “add on” files in /usr. Also some things
put themselves in odd locations by default. It depends a lot on who bundled
it and their reasoning.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Firefox for example puts itself in
/usr/lib/firefox when you download and install it. To access its binary from
/usr/bin you typically have to create a link back to the one under the
/usr/lib/firefox directory. However, most distributions come with a firefox
binary in /usr/bin – this is why people get confused when they “upgrade”
firefox – they are still accessing the distribution version rather than
the “upgraded” version.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>In UNIX it gets even more fun because they
have /opt on SVR4 based versions which was supposed to take the place of much
of what went into /usr before (though one still has to have /usr as well).</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
ale-bounces@ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces@ale.org] <b><span style='font-weight:
bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Jim Kinney<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, May 29, 2008 11:01
PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> ale@ale.org<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [ale] /USR vs.
/USR/LOCAL</span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>In general, stuff that
ships with or is provided by the distribution goes in /usr whereas stuff you
compile yourself goes in /usr/local.<br>
<br>
/usr/local even has i's own etc and you can put local-brewed start up scripts
and configs there.<br>
<br>
For nearly all current systems, the path will have /usr/local BEFORE /usr so
your compiled stuff will get found first.<br>
<br>
There are some oddball things (like java) that don't go in /usr/bin or
/usr/local/bin but they get handled by separate path structures.<br>
<br>
For new users the key directories to understand are /home (and the
"dot" files in $HOME) and probably /usr/share (where things like docs
and pixmaps and desktop backgrounds hide!) are good things to know about. The
basics of the structure (i.e. no more C:) and things like unmount before eject
(most current distros will do it for you) and the general separation of
privileges (i.e. root is dangerous unless you are careful) are good topics to
look at as well.</span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>2008/5/29 Marc Ferguson <<a href="mailto:mferguson@digitalalias.net">mferguson@digitalalias.net</a>>:</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Hi,<br>
<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>What is the difference between /usr and
/usr/local?<br>
</span></b><br>
I'm very excited that my wife has finally joined the linux community (through
openSUSE 10.3). Now that I have to hold her hand for almost everything
she does with the system, she asks lots of questions and /usr vs. /usr/local
totally stumps me. I thought I knew, but trying to explain it to her
helped me realize that I don't know the difference. Thanks.<br clear=all>
<font color="#888888"><span style='color:#888888'><br>
-- <br>
Marc F.<br>
<br>
"..Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to
come.." -Rev1:4 </span></font><br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Ale mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Ale@ale.org">Ale@ale.org</a><br>
<a href="http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale" target="_blank">http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale</a></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
<br clear=all>
<br>
-- <br>
-- <br>
James P. Kinney III </span></font></p>
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