Re: GCC and related packages

[Paul D. Smith]

%% address@hidden writes:

  dm> Why did you change the prefix from /opt to /usr/local?  /opt was
  dm> great and standardised with HPs install locations.. /usr/local is
  dm> a nightmare specially is /usr/local is an automounted location.

First, nothing was changed: the GNU project has been using /usr/local as
the default location for installation of tools since forever.  It never
used /opt; /opt was invented after the FSF chose theirs by various
commercial UNIX enterprises.

Second, GNU software installs on all sorts of different operating
systems, so choosing something because it's standard on one of them (HP)
is not a good reason.

Third, /usr/local does not have to be an automounted location and in
fact, _usually_ it's not: just because it happens to be one at your site
is not a good reason for the FSF not to use it.

And fourth, the /usr/local prefix is just a _default_; if you don't like
it you're free to change it to /opt or /fooblitsky or whatever else
strikes your fancy: it's completely trivial to do this.  See the INSTALL
and README files in the source distribution.

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