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Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:35:11 +1000
From: Shaddy Baddah <helium AT shaddybaddah DOT name>
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To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Subject: Re: cygdrive prefix
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Hi,

Andy Koppe wrote:
> 2009/9/16 Thorsten Kampe
>   
>> you shouldn't install Cygwin
>> directly to C:\ (but to C:\cygwin): so you don't have the Cygwin and the
>> Windows root folder structure mixed.
>>     
>
> And where exactly is the harm in that? Apple certainly don't see a
> problem with it, with the likes of /Applications and /Users living
> happily alongside /bin and /var. Actually it makes for a much more
> integrated Cygwin user experience not to have to mentally switch
> between different roots and add those \cygwin and /cygdrive (or
> whatever) prefixes when accessing stuff from the other side of the
> fence.
>   
I don't run an Apple computer OS, but my observation is that they are
based around a packaging system called 'port'? If true, that
undermines your argument somewhat. Because then you are even with
Linux/most unices, which of course carefully drop all exes into bin,
libraries into lib, etc. In this case there is nothing wrong dropping
everything into a single bin,lib,.. dir as you say, because there is a
package management system there to hold manifests, handle collisions,
allow uninstalls etc. etc. But without a package management system,
you are asking for trouble.

In this case, although cygwin has a package management system, it is
not going to manage the non-cygwin stuff dropped into c:/bin,lib,
etc. And that means if a user goes and installs something like msys
under the same mode of thinking, they won't stand much chance of
getting support if they come running here to complain about make or
someother app behaving  unexpectedly because they've now got a /bin
directory tainted with non-cygwin exes. At least they would be very
unpopular for wasting the list's time.

Of course, if the user knows what they are doing, either implementing
their own package management functions or diligently acting as their
own package manager, there is no reason for having c:/ as cygwin root
not to work. It's just highly discouraged for the reasons I've given.

Regards,
Shaddy



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