Re: [gentoo-user] Newbie question re: /usr

[Herman Grootaers]

On Tuesday 25 April 2006 18:00, K. Mike Bradley wrote:
> Thanks for the URL, but I had this question after reading this very
> document.
>
> It doesn't explain the history or the reason there are two /bin,
> /sbin.
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Justin Findlay [mailto:jfindlay@×××××.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 11:36 AM
> To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
> Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] Newbie question re: /usr
>
> On 4/25/06, K. Mike Bradley <kmb@××××××××.com> wrote:
> > I wonder if anyone can explain why /usr was created?
> >
> > It has a /bin and /sbin with similar binaries as the root
> > equivalents.
> >
> > I have read that it's called the secondary hierarchy and it's
> > sharable and meant to be read only (these days) ... but what is it
> > for and why do we
>
> have
>
> > duplication of /bin and /sbin?
>
The duplications is of old. The binaries are to be stored 
in /sbin; /bin; /usr/bin; /usr/sbin and optionally in /opt/bin 
or /opt/sbin.

The division is not so strange as it seems. In */sbin the binaries 
placed are used by the systemuser root, that means the binaries can be 
used by anyone. in */bin the binaries are under user-control that is 
they are owned by the user who created the binary. In /sbin are 
therefore the general utilities which are necessary to boot the system, 
in /bin the rest of the utilities, in /usr and /opt are placed the 
programs which are installed by the user. The first one is for the 
standard applications, the latter is for the optional software, 
although some will install in /usr.

Problem however is that the different writers of software do not comply 
with this division and come up with an other scheme to install their 
software. That makes maintenance of a system with parts of more than 
one distribution harder to maintain than in a single distribution, It 
also makes tracking down bugs harder.

I hope this will help.

== 
Herman Grootaers
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