Style Question: Installing New Programs
 

I've been using linux on & off for a few years, and one thing that was never clear to me was a common knowledge on where to install programs. I usually just end up making new folders in my home directory, which seems a little messy.

Trying to make sense of the default install setup when you install a distro isn't much help. While binaries are in /bin directories, they're spread around in different /bins, and it's hard to figure out the logic of it. /usr/local seems like a logical place for things that aren't installed as root, but then that brings up another question: when to & when not to install something as root. I've been told it can be dangerous, but some programs require root access, and further, help documents don't always explicitly state whether or not that's required.

So, does anyone have any tips, links, or advice that could give insight into common conventions & efficient use of a *NIX file tree?

Thanks -Ian

Well, for the most part, when you install something, it picks where its going to install. For example, installing from a package of any sort (.rpm, .tgz, .deb) will install wherever it's told to by default. If you install from source, most applications will choose to install somewhere (usually /usr/local/bin, but there are exceptions) and will only install elsewhere if you tell it explicitly to do so. If, however, you are downloading a binary (like Firefox is), I just throw mine in /usr/local/bin, as it seems to work the best for me, and I know where everything is.

The tarball will install into either /usr or /usr/local. Some files will go into the bin dir and some into the lib directory, and some in doc.
According to the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (LFHS), /usr/local should be the base directory for the installations. Upgrading a distro will not change the files in these directories.
The part I don't understand myself is using a common /usr/local directory for a network. Shouldn't it be called /usr/shared then? :scratch:
This sounds a lot like the phrase 'wireless cable'?

Woah, that's some good stuff right there: http://www.pathname.com/fhs/

Thanks for the information if you ever see this, heh, delayed response.