Please do not hardcode GNUSTEP_INSTALLATION_DOMAIN in GNUmakefiles!

[Nicola Pero]

This is just a reminder that GNUstep's full support of FHS makes even  
more important
that all software must install into LOCAL unless told otherwise by the  
user. :-)

The rest of the email contains more details for people who are  
interested in this.

--

As you know, the variable GNUSTEP_INSTALLATION_DOMAIN can be used to  
control
in which "domain" a piece of GNUstep software is to be installed.   
Valid values are SYSTEM,
LOCAL, NETWORK and USER.

As examples for the uninitiated,

 * under the GNUstep filesystem layout, SYSTEM is /usr/GNUstep/ 
System, LOCAL is /usr/GNUstep/Local,etc.

 * under a FHS filesystem layout, SYSTEM is /usr/bin, /usr/lib, etc.;  
LOCAL is /usr/local/bin, /usr/local/lib, etc.;
NETWORK is the same as LOCAL and USER is /home/nicola/GNUstep/Tools, / 
home/nicola/GNUstep/Library/Libraries,etc.

By default, all GNUstep software installs into LOCAL unless told  
otherwise.  If you're a Unix
guy, you can think of that meaning that all GNUstep software installs  
into /usr/local/ by default.
Obviously the right thing to do. :-)

If you want to install GNUstep software somewhere else (eg, in SYSTEM  
because you're a packager - eg,
a Unix packager and you need to install stuff into /usr/bin for your  
distribution), you do

 make install GNUSTEP_INSTALLATION_DOMAIN=SYSTEM

you could also do (assuming bash)

 export GNUSTEP_INSTALLATION_DOMAIN=SYSTEM
 make
 make install

It's important to note that hardcoding a value of  
GNUSTEP_INSTALLATION_DOMAIN inside the GNUmakefile
is very unfriendly towards users - particularly hardcoding a value of  
SYSTEM.  If Joe Random Unix User downloads
a GNUstep software tarball from the internet (eg, a new GNUstep  
application he wants to try, or even the latest cutting-edge
version of an application he already has!), and types 'make; make  
install', he's expecting the software to
install into /usr/local/.  He'll be extremely upset if the software  
installs automatically into /usr/bin, /usr/lib, etc.
overwriting any system stuff (eg, rpm/deb) he may have (I can tell  
you, I'd be furious). ;-)

Currently the "core" GNUstep software hardcodes  
GNUSTEP_INSTALLATION_DOMAIN=SYSTEM in their GNUmakefiles.   That
is a bug, and the only reason some of the packages install there is  
that we haven't finished working out the implications of, say,
installing gnustep-base into LOCAL by default.  gnustep-base is  
getting more and more relocatable and flexible and adaptable
and it shouldn't be difficult at all to figure that out at this  
stage.  Once we've done that, the support for FHS will be complete and  
people who require
a strict Unix setup will be able to use gnustep-base like any other  
Unix library and expect that it behaves like any other
Unix library (including installing into /usr/local/lib by default when  
you get a source tarball, while installing into /usr/lib if
you get it from an RPM or a DEB or whatever your local Unix package  
management system is). :-)

Once we complete this "bug fixing" of the core stuff, people who are  
building their hand-made GNUstep system from source
[including, eg, me and probably most people who read this far ;-)] and  
who are used to get all their "core" GNUstep stuff
into SYSTEM locations by default so providing them with a nicely  
looking GNUstep distribution setup when
compiling from source can still install the core stuff into SYSTEM  
from source by simply using

 export GNUSTEP_INSTALLATION_DOMAIN=SYSTEM

before compiling/installing the core libraries/applications - which  
really can't be such a big deal for a hardcode
GNUstepper. ;-)

I think it's rather more important that Joe Random Unix User who never  
tried GNUstep in his life gets everything working
as he expects with the least possible effort the first time he tries  
compiling a bit of GNUstep software.  Which means, unless
he wants to do otherwise, everything should install into /usr/local by  
default. ;-)

Thanks