From: Rick DeNatale Date: 2007-10-03T21:24:45+09:00 Subject: Re: problem with ruby installation On 10/2/07, Sean Cahoon wrote: > Thanks! That did the trick. But what's the difference between usr/lib > and usr/local/lib? What is the local directory supposed to be for? Brief answer It's to separate code which you've installed to customize your system from the 'stock' installed code. Updating the system won't touch it. Possibly boring expansion There's a standard called the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard or FHS which maps out how POSIX filesystems are 'supposed' to be laid out. Various *nix and *nix-like systems follow this standard to varying degrees. OSX follows it less than, say debian linux, but the concepts of FHS are still instructive. Actually in some ways it might be more accurate to say that the different distributions interpret the FHS somewhat differently. From a ruby point of view, debians particular interpretation of the FHS is why debian isn't completely comfortable with gems http://pkg-ruby-extras.alioth.debian.org/rubygems.html You might find other **/local directories and they probably serve the same purpose. And on OSX (which I'm just learning*) I've found less consistency in where software is installed compared to my debian/ubuntu systems. For example some of the software I've installed got put in /usr/local by default and other sw went to /opt/local * I'd been away from the Mac for some time (my last Mac ran OS 8.x). OSX feels like a foreign beast when I look at it from my old Mac experience, so many things have changed. I'm finding that my linux experience is much more useful in adapting. -- Rick DeNatale My blog on Ruby http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/