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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