I have suse pro 9.1 (purchased - so I could get the books with it). The book stated different places for installing programs (its not with me so path may not be exact). It mentioned the /opt directory for third party applications. So ok, sounds like 'Program Files' to a windows user. But then is also said to install programs into a directy under /usr or usr/local (thats where I'm not sure and the book is not with me).

So I'm left confused. What should go where? I understand there are several variables involved like, should the program be available to all users of the system, or just a particular user. And I have read how *nix apps are often split up between different directorys (/bin /lib /share etc..)

I just need to solidify this whole subject so I can start installing apps and learning more about linux. This post is to seek help towards that purpose... I have a specific problem installing a specific app but I will create a seperate post for that... It was during the process of installing this app that I realized this is an area I NEED to fully understand. In this particular case I think the issue is X related anyway.. it will be in a seperate post.

any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

try this web site

http://www.linuxbase.org/

thanks for the reply cydd420, however I don't know where to go on the site. I browsed around a bit but could not find anything.

It doesn't matter, the application will get installed in the default directory, which should be /usr/local, binaries in /usr/local/bin and your documentations go to /usr/local/doc. If you want to put the application in /opt instead of /usr/local use the prefix...

./configure --prefix=/opt

1) is the behavior you described for all or some installation methods? like rpm packages or shell script installations, or both or other?

2) is it safe to asume then that if I'm ever prompted with a location option by an installation routine that I should specify /usr/local as the destination (or 'prefix' as I'm begining to realize is the term for linux)

3) are these 'default' locations user definable? And are they the same across linux distributions?

thanks for the info so far.

Most not all. Like Kde puts it sources in /opt, but if you were to install Firefox, by default, it would put its sources in /usr/local unless you told it to put them in /opt, which would be --prefix=/opt. It doesn't really matter where they go, /usr/local or /opt. It just makes your system cleaner, easier to uninstall files, patch.. etc by putting them in the /opt dir. Your binaries will automatically get installed in /usr/local/bin, your docs in /usr/local/docs, system wide config files in /etc ..etc. Unless you specify otherwise, which you really have no reason to because most of those directories are in your PATH and need to be in your path or they wont work.

Like I said above, it doesn't matter. The /opt dir was made to make maintenance on your system easier to the admin. by consolidating third party packages in a single directory.

Well you'll have to be root in order to install to either dir. /opt or /usr/local, but if you're the admin. then yes.

*EDIT*
Hmm, I could have sworn I read that you were installing RPMs, so i deleted the rpm commands. Just another one of my brain farts...

RPMs for SuSE will install in their default directories. Most things that use the Loki installer will install to /usr/local assuming that you are installing as root. For installation of of source code by compiling and installation you do a make install and it will go into its default directory.

SuSE is one of the few distros that use /opt. So some programs,... like KDE and Gnome, for example, will install to /opt instead of /usr.

I put most stuff I compile into /usr/local but some third party packages like netbeans install into /opt. Most packages provided by a distro go into /usr, but Suse and Slackware put KDE in /opt by default.