Hi,
>>"Andreas" == Andreas Jellinghaus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>> This proposal also does not have an ewasy way of transitioning
>> between releases of the X WIndow system (like, release 7, or version
>> 12.
Andreas> it will still be possible to install a new window system
Andreas> into /usr/X11R7,
Which seems to suggest that /usr/X*R* is a better place to
leave things. Why should we move X11R6?
Andreas> or even better handle that with the debian package
Andreas> mechanism. libx11r7(-doc,-dev) isn't a problem to handle.
I want to have both R6 and R7 installed at the same time. I
remember leaving X11 around for more than a year after I started
dabbling with X11; so a replace/conflict is not a solution.
>> In the current method, one may have multple copies of the X
>> window system on the machine simultaneously, keepin one the default,
>> and allowing others to experiment with newer version at will. Also
>> allows an easy roll back by changing 3 links.
Andreas> with debian you can keep all three as deb's on your hard
Andreas> disk, and a single dpkg command will do the transition.
Not good enough. All my users need not experiment with X12
before things have stabilized; however, some of the staff need to
experment. Replacing and redoing X installation across a whole
workgroup is no fun.
Andreas> btw : there is only /etc/X11, not /etc/X11R6, so symlink
Andreas> changeing will maybe not be enough...
Good point. We should try and see about /etc/X/11/6 and
/etc/X/12/1 and so on ;-)
>> Other reasons I can think of are compatibility with other
>> Linux/UNIX systems, and backwards compatibility (replacing
>> directories with symlinks maybe awkward with dpkg).
Andreas> i agree, as far as i know, dpkg does not allow one dir being
Andreas> a symlink and a real directory at the same time. it also
Andreas> doesn't allow two packages providing the same symlink.
>> In conclusion, I think this is a stunningly bad idea.
Andreas> i disagree. fsstnd/fhs made one big exception where it did
Andreas> not clean up the filesystem. at that time they had reasons
Andreas> not to move x11 arround. x11r5/r6 might be the most
Andreas> important one. i'm not sure if this reason is still valid.
Andreas> the longer x11r6 is it's own hierarchy, the longer you have
Andreas> to live and maintain the drawbacks. a cut is not easy to
Andreas> do, but better sooner than later IMHO.
Not until you show me an upgrade path to R7 and X12. The
current method allows for co-existance of several releases of X
(barring our own bad /etc/X11 directory). Until an upgrade path, with
an eye to the future, is available, we should change nothing.
I remember the problems I ran into transitioning out of X10.
manoj
--
The Seventh Commandments for Technicians: Work thou not on energized
equipment, for if thou dost, thy fellow workers will surely buy beers
for thy widow and console her in other ways.
Manoj Srivastava <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://www.datasync.com/%7Esrivasta/>
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