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Re: lesstif mwm bug


Christopher Faylor wrote:


> I don't think I ever gave an opinion on the /usr/bin vs.
> /usr/X11R6/bin.  My preference is that all official X stuff goes in
> /usr/X11R6/bin but that seems to be counter to the way most modern
> distributions do things.
> 
> So, I don't know that we have an actual policy.


I was one of the main proponents of "all the other dists put everything 
into /usr/bin, so we should too".  Earnie raised the issue about 
"binaries that can exist as either X- or MS-native-windowing, but not 
simultaneously as both in a single executable (e.g. rxvt).

I said fuhgeddaboutit until we actually SEE the problem.

And then I saw the problem.  tcl/tk.  The cygwin version that is 
currently distributed uses MS-native windowing, for lots of very good 
reasons.  It is installed into /usr/bin, /usr/include, /usr/lib.  But 
what if I want to build an X-based application with tk?  I'd need a 
X-based tk -- which obviously cannot go into /usr/bin, /usr/include, and 
/usr/lib.

So, now I think that REGARDLESS of what "those other distributions do", 
we should segregate X- linked apps and libraries into /usr/X11R6/.  Very 
few other platforms have multiple windowing environments to deal with. 
The closest similarities I can think of are:

1) X- and terminal-.  Two common solutions:
   a) single binary, operates in either mode (FSF-Emacs)
   b) two different binaries with different names (vim, gvim)

2) X- and svgalib-.
   a) Two different binaries with the same name; only one may be 
installed on a system at a time (Mandrake's graphical Aurora bootup)
   b) two different binaries with different names (????)

3) "regular X" and "gtk"
   a) two different binaries with the same name; only one installed on 
the system at a given time (XEmacs.  In fact, Mandrake for instance ONLY 
provides the gtk version; the normal X- version is no longer available 
officially).

But, these are all VERY rare.  Of the thousands of apps out there, most 
are JUST terminal, or JUST X-, or JUST svgalib.   The conflicts just 
haven't happened often enough for the distributions to come up with a 
cohesive plan -- they just seem to special case the rare conflicts.

I think Earnie's right: these problems will not be rare for us.  We want 
native-windowing apps, and we want X-windowing apps, and sometimes, we 
want the same program in either/both/ forms (tk, XEmacs, rxvt, gtk(?), 
etc).

To see a real comparison between what "they" do and what we do, imagine 
what would happen if Berlin or W or another 2nd-generation X became 
really popular...

So, finally, in summary, IMO, X- linked apps should be compiled and 
installed with --prefix=/usr/X11R6/

--Chuck



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