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content-class: urn:content-classes:message
Subject: RE: why not use root as root?
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Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2001 13:12:11 +1100
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Thread-Topic: why not use root as root?
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From: "Robert Collins" <robert DOT collins AT itdomain DOT com DOT au>
To: <gerrit DOT haase AT t-online DOT de>, <cygwin AT cygwin DOT com>
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gerrit P. Haase [mailto:gerrit DOT haase AT t-online DOT de]
> 
> <2 Jan 2001, 10:57 Uhr wars, als Robert Collins folgendes schrub:>
> < Re: why not use root as root? >
> 
> Hi Rob,
> 
> [...]
> > Are you saying the FAQ entry is wrong or misleading or hard 
> to understand?
> 
> No, not that it is wrong, not misleading, but for me it is hard to 
> understand, first, i'm german and my english is not that good 
> as yours,

I can understand language dificulties- that's why I suggested you might
have some better text for use in the FAQ.

> second, i got two hdd's with 40GB, there are five partitions, 
> i use now one 
> complete drive (partition) only for cygwin. It is not my 
> system-drive, so i 
> expect no trouble.

Again, as long as you never install any other software on that
partition. The point of the entry is software collisions - you have
obviously read that and come to a workable solution. However I don't
think the FAQ is wrong here (a) relatively few people have the luxury of
dedicated a partition to cygwin (b) few people (IMO) will want to
reserve the space rather than sharing space between cygwin and other
applications.

> 
> On windows, AFAIK, most applications could be installed were 
> you want it.

Not true. Many can now, but in the past many programs were hardcoded to
specific locations. Also the early unix like tools on windows (ie mks as
already mentioned here) used c:\ as / - which is why cygwin avoids that.

> 
> VC++ e.g. is in c:\programme\visual studio\blah\bin
> BC++ e.g. is in c:\bc5\bin
> perl is in c:\perl\bin, pyhton is in c:\python\bin
> and so on.
> 
> > I think it is accurate and the suggestion should be made as it is.
> > I do not think it is misleading.
> 
> I thought that maybe there are problems with cygwins 
> functionality and if 
> so it should be explained in which form.

there are: when other tools are present. 

> In another listmail these days i read, that dejagnu is only 
> working if 
> cygwin is installed in root of a drive, but i don't 
> understand why, for me 
> dejagnu is not working either, though i installed in root.

Chris just discussed this - tcl is not cygwin aware.

> > Perhaps it could be clearer as to the reasons for the 
> recommendation - do
> > you have some suggested text to put there? (As I wasn't 
> confused by it I am
> > stumped with respect to understanding the confusion).
> > 
> > Rob
> 
> I suggest, a hint, that it is no problem to install cygwin on 
> the root, if 
> cygwin got its own drive or s.th. like this would be nice.

Why? Having it installed in the root offers no benefits (other than
dejagnu working). And everyone doing support on the list is likely to
ask a user that has installed into the root to reinstall off the root.

> 
> At last i thought, if it would not work with cygwin on root, then the 
> setup.exe would not allow to install in root:-)

It does work. But there _may_ be gotchas. There _are_ gotchas with other
products.

What benefits does encouraging this sort of install bring?

Rob

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