From: Peter Hickman <peter@...>
Date: 2008-01-03T19:30:04+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby install on Kubuntu Linux - why so spread out

Tom Cloyd wrote:
> down. In WinXP, Ruby sits in a single obvious directory, in root - 
> C:\ruby. In Kubuntu, it seems to be a ship wreck. I had to do a 
> systematic search of the file system to find...
>
> /usr/bin/ruby1.8

/usr/bin is where installed commands are placed. The ones that come with
the OS would be in /bin and your own ones could end up in
/usr/local/bin. The root binaries start in /sbin, /usr/sbin and the
like. This directory naming thing is the way Unix handles things.

> /usr/share/doc/ruby1.8

Yup, all documentation usually ends up here under /usr/share/doc

> /usr/lib/ruby/1.8
>
> One question - why? Am I supposed to KNOW that this is where things 
> end up? 

You don't have to know but it can be useful.

> Why is it done this way?
>
> I'm delighted with Kubuntu Linux, overwhelmingly, but I'm puzzled by 
> this shotgun installation. Can anyone explain the thinking behind this?

The thinking is that like things live together. So all the executable
commands live in /usr/bin (and the like), documentation lives in
/usr/share/doc and libraries live in /usr/lib. It's not perfect and some
things decide to install their stuff in the oddest places but it mostly
works.

>
> Tom
>