[mythtv] New configure --prefix is not updating settings.pro

Joseph Caputo jcaputo1 at comcast.net
Fri Apr 8 23:01:41 UTC 2005


Cory Papenfuss wrote:
>>>     On platforms that have MythTV installed by default
>>> (KnoppMyth) or by the user from packages, they go into /usr,
>>> and CVS builds then go somewhere else.
>>
>>
>> This is standard for essentially all software on Linux.  Stuff you 
>> compile
>> goes into /usr/local, stuff from packages goes into /usr.  This is good
>> behavior, and Myth certainly shouldn't ignore the standards for something
>> like this.
>>
>>>     I guess I am trying to subtly change the behaviour
>>> on Debian boxes - to upgrade the current packages.
>>
>>
>> Why?  I'm on Debian, and I really don't want myth going into /usr.
>>
>>>     What if configure looked for current versions
>>> (`which mythbackend`) and then asked the user if they
>>> want to overwrite it?
>>
>>
>> Nope, shouldn't do that.
>>
>>> And, if that was the case, how many people think
>>> that the default (if there is one) should be yes?
>>
>>
>> If the user's smart enough to figure out how to connect to CVS and 
>> compile
>> from source, they can be smart enough to deal with package management.
>>
>> Isaac
> 
> 
>     Just as an aside note, mythtv works quite happily with the 'encap' 
> symlink-based pseudo package manager.  It automatically populates 
> symlinks recursively into /usr/local/* from any directory it finds in 
> it's tree (nominally /usr/local/encap/<package>-<version> which is 
> excluded from the recursive symlinking).  Basically, compiling all of 
> mythtv and it's modules with prefix=/usr/local/encap/mythtv-0.17 and 
> running 'epkg -i mythtv' will make it look like it's installed in 
> /usr/local/
> 
>     I encap *every* piece of software I compile from source, and almost 
> never have a problem with upgrading, downgrading, overwriting, etc.
> 
> -Cory

I'll second that, except I use GNU Stow, but it amounts to the same 
thing.  The great thing is I can keep multiple versions of CVS around, 
and swapping them is just 2 commands (assuming there aren't db schema 
incompatibilities).  I actually use GNU Stow for *all* software that I 
compile from source (unless it's a source rpm).  This way, it's easy for 
me to tell what non-packaged software I have installed, as it's all in 
/usr/local/stow/*, and uninstalling it is just 2 commands:  stow -D 
<dir> and rm -rf <dir>.

I highly recommend either Stow or encap.

-JAC


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