[tex-live] Default installation violates filesystem hierarchy standards

[Norbert Preining]

Hi Tristan,

thanks for contacting us.

> documentation, configuration files, etc.) in a directory hierarchy rooted 
> at /usr/local/texlive/2015.

Yes, that is the default location, as it has been since many many
years (20?)

> /usr/local/texlive/2015 is the wrong place to root the installation, as 
> this violates the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) used by GNU/Linux, 

We never claimed that we follow the FHS, thus we are not bound to
the FHS. We are providing TeX Live on much more systems than Linux,
and while we are sure that the /usr/local is reasonably common,
I wouldn't be sure of the /opt hierarchy.

> Installing TeX Live in /usr/local/texlive/2015 therefore makes it difficult 
> for other users to predict its location, and could interfere with automated 
> package management tools and other software which expects a clean 

Why? If an admin installs it, he can use links into /usr/local/bin,
or, extend the system path properly (what I did on our local department
system).

Furthermore, there is as far as I remember or have seen *NO* 
package management system that installs into /usr/local. 

> I believe the proper place to root the TeX Live installation is under /opt 
> (e.g., /opt/tug/texlive/2015).  The /opt hierarchy (see Section 3.13 of the 

You are completely free to install it there, there is nobody hindering
you in that, if you are deeply interested in FHS.

At least from my side I don't see any need to change a default which
has been in use for many years, just for a FHS which we don't follow.

Of couse, others here might have a different opinion, though.

All the best

Norbert

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PREINING, Norbert                               http://www.preining.info
JAIST, Japan                                 TeX Live & Debian Developer
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