On Mon, Dec 15, 2003 at 10:50:17AM -0500, David Z Maze wrote: > Rob Benton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > I'm trying to install the xfree86 packages with the /opt directory as > > root. I've tried using --instdir but the install fails on the > > pre/postinst scripts. Is there an easy way to do this without having to > > build my own package? > > No. In general, dpkg's options to "change the root" are useful if you > have a chroot environment, or if you somehow otherwise have a complete > working system installed somewhere other than / (e.g., you're booted > off of a rescue CD and your hard disk is mounted on /target or > something). The best you could do with this approach is install X > stuff in /opt/usr/X11R6/..., and even that wouldn't work because the X > server will do things like look for its configuration file in /etc/X11 > (and has, in the Debian build, never heard of /opt). > > As far as X goes, IMHO the easiest way to get an XFree86 4.3 X server > (because that's what you're really after, right?) is to download the > Xxserv.tgz and Xmod.tgz binary tarballs from xfree86.org, unpack them > somewhere like /usr/local, and repoint the /etc/X11/X symlink to point > to them. There are also various backports, plus the ~official Debian > experimental packages; search the list archives for details. Debian > in general "doesn't believe in /opt", and relocatable binaries are a > hard problem that's not real high on the dpkg feature list. > > -- > David Maze [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://people.debian.org/~dmaze/ > "Theoretical politics is interesting. Politicking should be illegal." > -- Abra Mitchell > given the recurrence of opt/ related posts, it might be appropriate to provide an other-distro-refugee howto on debian.org, or, at least, a specifically new user link to fhs resources. as far as i know, the only linux distro that automatically assigns and relies on opt/ is suse (last experience, 8.0; rh 5.0). 3 days of mandrake left me with only a memory of sheer frustration, so much so that i simply can't remember whether opt/ was a part of their plan. i know that opt/ is/was a feature of various *nixes, but i can't see where /usr/local doesn't serve the same objective already.
ben -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
