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*nix /usr - where it came from, why it's still there, and how to get rid of it.

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Gothi[c]:

Ran across this interesting read, explaining some of the history of the /usr folder :

  http://bsdtips.utcorp.net/mediawiki/index.php/Helio/usr

The article suggests a very nice way to have all binaries into the same folder (ie, unite /bin and /usr/bin) on FreeBSD using nullfs and union.

I found the historical bit about the magnetic tapes for / and a faster disk for /usr was particularly interesting :)

I figured I'd share the link... :)

housetier:
and while we get rid of /usr the distros introduce /opt, /sys, /srv and whatnot. Heck the other day I saw ~/.local/ with a similar structure to /usr/local.

I wish they'd follow the LSB standard; well, and not make such deep directory hierarchies in my home directory.

Gwen7:
and while we get rid of /usr the distros introduce /opt, /sys, /srv and whatnot. Heck the other day I saw ~/.local/ with a similar structure to /usr/local.

I wish they'd follow the LSB standard; well, and not make such deep directory hierarchies in my home directory.
-housetier (April 09, 2009, 07:12 AM)
--- End quote ---

GoboLinux's Hisham Muhammad had the same problem, and asked much the same question. He came up with an interesting alternative to the insanity of the Linux directory tree. That alternative was then incorporated into his own version of Linux which garnered some press a few years ago and now has a small but dedicated following.

You can read the documentation up on his website.
http://www.gobolinux.org/index.php?page=documentation

Especially interesting are the first two links in the Articles section where he examines the problem, and then offers his solution. The second article entitled "I am not Clueless" where he refutes several imagined reasons for why things are the way they are is an especially good read.

When you finish reading about Gobo, try downloading and giving it a try. It's an enlightening experience realizing how much better Linux could be if it would just abandon some of its more traditional ways of thinking.

Not everything historic is worth preserving.

Gothi[c]:
When you finish reading about Gobo, try downloading and giving it a try. It's an enlightening experience realizing how much better Linux could be if it would just abandon some of its more traditional ways of thinking.

--- End quote ---

Interesting... I'll give it a go.

zridling:
Yea, first thing I do with a new distro is establish my ground, usually on a separate partition.

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