Re: Default values for infodir and mandir [WAS: Re: [autoconf] doc dirs?]

[Guido Draheim]

Ralf Corsepius wrote:
> 
> Guido Draheim wrote:
> >
> > Earnie Boyd wrote:
> > >
> > > Rüdiger Kuhlmann wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hi!
> > > >
> > > -8<-
> > > >  AC_SUBST([infodir],        ['${prefix}/info'])dnl
> > > > +AC_SUBST([docdir],         ['${datadir}/doc'])dnl
> > > >  AC_SUBST([mandir],         ['${prefix}/man'])dnl
> > > >
> > >
> > > In my simplistic mind having three places for documentation isn't
> > > logical.  I can understand leaving switches for infodir and mandir in
> > > place for backward compatibility but shouldn't there values default to
> > > ['$(docdir)/info'] and ['$(docdir)/man'] instead.  IIRC this is what the
> > > FHS recommends.
> > >
> >
> > IIRC, the FHS recommends to move mandir and infodir into $datadir/(man|info)
> > instead of the current ac-default for $prefix/(man|info).
> 
> Nope. It does not even mention the words datadir or docdir.
> grep datadir fhs.txt
> grep docdir fhs.txt
> 
> It mandates:
> /usr/share/[man|info] for OS-vendor supplied packages
> /usr/local/[man|info] for local packages
> and reserves
> /opt/[man|info] for "add-on" packages.

Indeed! so in fact, it should still be $prefix/man etcetera,
which leads me to the question where the /doc should go under,
- is it $prefix/doc or $datadir/doc ? The fhs does not tell of
a /doc directory for /usr/local software, but it does mention
/opt/doc, and it does mention /usr/share/doc along with a 
footnote saying it has been /usr/doc originally.

Again, the docdir looks like a fairly standard directory,
so it should be added to the defaultset of configure options.
Even more, "OS-vendor supplied packages" under /usr shall
*not* use $prefix but a thing that we come to call $datadir,
for each of the /man /info /doc subdirectories. It is best
for "OS-vendor"s to be able to configure gnu'ish software
with the same set of options for these directories.

What it damn horrifies me is the inconsistency with respect
to relocatable packages. Package-wise installations are
referenced in the /opt/<package> section of the fhs, and it
says /opt/<package>/man. Possibly it can be derived as
/opt/<package>/doc too, so that the $docdir default should
be $prefix/doc. The reference too $datadir/doc slipped in
for me, as I had been asked a while ago to place the
htmldocs and pdffiles in the /share-directory instead of
directly under a prefix/doc path. Perhaps I'll add some
magic that can see a "/usr"-prefix and shifts them down
into /usr/share - or should it be the other way round to
move up /share-data - who knows.... ;-)


-- guido                         Edel sei der Mensch, hilfreich und gut
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