Conventions? choice of install directory?

[Florian Diesch]

ac <"aec$news"@candt.waitrose.com> wrote:

> After downloading something like realplayer 10 binary (note1), into an 
> initial download directory, I can run it either as user or with sudo. 
> As user, I think I have to install it into a location in the home/user 
> directories where user has write permissions, but with sudo presumably 
> I can choose an install directory anywhere (?)
>
> As it happens, using sudo, I chose to install 
> into/home/user/realplayer  which worked fine.
> However, during the installation process the sequence asked me
> if I wanted system wide symbolic links (I chose this)(note2) and asked me
> where it should put the symbolic links, suggesting   /usr which I 
> accepted.
>
> I am not very clear about the exact significance of these links, or 
> maybe links in general, but is there a more conventional or a more 
> elegant place for the installation directory, other than my present 
> choice of /home/user/realplayer?

/opt/realplayer10

> I do not really want to have an application in the user directory even 
> if it is owned by root. Should I have asked for the installation 
> directory to be in the /usr directory to start with?

Install package debian-policy and have a look at
/usr/share/doc/debian-policy/fhs/fhs-2.3.pdf.gz

It contains an explanation of the directory hierarchy used by Ubuntu
(and most other Linux distributions).


   Florian
-- 
<http://www.florian-diesch.de/>