FHS, zopectl, #925, Re: [Zope-dev] 2.7 installation

Adrian van den Dries avdd@flow.com.au
Thu, 19 Jun 2003 13:31:43 +1000


On June 19, Adrian van den Dries wrote:
> Distribution install - most common::
...
> Multiple pythons, zopes, instances - most complex::

Note that these aren't mutually exclusive: the porpoise of /usr/local
is to allow a site-local hierarchy.  That is, the *system* only has
one version of the software (and the *system* should only *ever* have
one version of the software) and locally-installed packages go in
/usr/local, per FHS.  The decision to install multiple versions of a
package is always a site-local decision, and therefore correctly
belongs in /usr/local.

I suppose there may be a religious debate a-brewing about whether Zope
should install as a Python package into
/usr/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages, or its own package with its own
PYTHONPATH.

My argument in this debate goes a little like this:

  A *library* should be installed as a library.  Most of Zope's source
  code is libraries.  Zope should install these libraries (packages)
  according to the regime dictated by the installation of Python that
  will be used to run Zope.  That is, if you are using a
  distribution-supplied Python to run Zope, you should install into
  that Python's --prefix.  If you are using a custom Python, use
  whatever regime matches that Python.

But remember these are all *customisations*; the defaults all point to
the simplest scenario presented earlier.

a.

-- 
 Adrian van den Dries                           avdd@flow.com.au
 Development team                               www.dev.flow.com.au
 FLOW Communications Pty. Ltd.                  www.flow.com.au