Re: LINUX Filesystem standards

[Juergen Lock <nox@jelal.north.de>]

Claus Brod writes:

> A general remark: I think we already learnt from the discussion so
> far that we should start with just a few conventions on the
> file system layout, i.e. some kind of minimum subset. For one thing,
> we probably don't need much more, and it's also easier to get a
> general agreement for. Maybe we should also try to turn the discussion
> upside down: What kind of file system structure are expected by
> programs and packages that have already been ported or are currently
> being ported? Maybe we should take care of their requirements first.

 here are a few things i can think of...

1. there is a TOS port of nn (newsreader) that some people still use
with MiNT, it (and a few other programs) look for environment variables
$ETC to find a passwd (with backslashes in homedirs :/ ) and $USR to
find $USR/lib/nn, $USR/lib/news, $USR/spool/news, etc.  i suggest
setting USR=u:\\var and making /var/lib/{mail,nn} links into /usr...
(not /var/lib/news because it contains growing files.)  /var/lib/mail
is for smail 2.5, it also uses /var/spool/batch for batch-smtp and
of course /var/spool/mail.  (and the batch-smtp stuff keeps a counter
in /var/lib/uucp, hmpf. :)  ok so don't symlink that into /usr.)

2. taylor uucp (at least my port) searches its main (taylor-style)
config file in /usr/local/conf/uucp/, you can configure the locations
of everything else from there.  defaults are /usr/lib/uucp for HDB-style
config files (Systems, Dialers, Devices...), /usr/spool/{uucp,uucppublic}
for spool, logs, lockfiles etc. and /bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin as
search path for uux jobs. (rnews, rmail, r*smtp...)  i just linked
/usr/spool -> /var/spool.

3. i also have /local for /usr/local, should we keep that?  (i first
had /usr all GEMDOS and that way local could still be seperate...)
i.e. just a symlink /local -> /usr/local is enough.

4. elvis keeps preserved files in /usr/preserve, symlink that into /var?
(yup i see linux does it too.)

 hmm did i forget something important? :)

 enough...  cheers,
	Juergen
-- 
J"urgen Lock / nox@jelal.north.de / UUCP: ..!uunet!unido!uniol!jelal!nox
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