Linux - SoftwareThis forum is for Software issues.
Having a problem installing a new program? Want to know which application is best for the job? Post your question in this forum.
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
I am planning on installing Apache (from source) on my Xubuntu desktop. However, I'm not very sure what is the best place to put it. I am aware that /usr/local/src is the usual directory for programs installed from source. However, root privileges are disabled there. Of course, I could become root and do what I need to do, but it seems that if root privileges are disabled there, they are disabled there for a good reason. So what is the right approach here?
1. Install the software to another location (perhaps somewhere under /home/myname).
2. Become root and install it under /usr/local/src.
3. Become root and allow write permissions to /usr/local/src for all users. Then install it as a regular user.
Since this is a home computer, permissions aren't really a huge deal. However, I'm trying to learn best practice as early as possible.
On another note: when I actually go to install Apache, where should I set the destination directory? (When I run ./configure, I get to specify the --prefix=/output/directory option which tells Apache where it should install itself.) Is the usual place for this /usr/local? Or should I place it in /, the root directory?
Where you put the source code doesn't matter at all. You could keep it under /home, or put it on a USB flash drive if you wanted.
What matters is where the compiled program actually installs to. The installation prefix should be either /usr or /usr/local, depending on how you like to do things. System software like Apache would generally not be installed under a user's home directory. For the most part, on a single user system, everything should be placed under /usr, as there is no reason to cordon off software based on user.
OK, thanks for the help. I decided to go along with what I think is the standard: source code in /usr/local/src and the compiled software in /usr/local/programname. After doing some additional searching on the difference between /usr and /usr/local, it seems that /usr/local is more appropriate for programs that I install myself [1][2].
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.