GoboLinux Talk: (Changing the filesystem hierarchy)

[RAV TUX]

GoboLinux - the alternative Linux distribution

[otttx33]

Linux is not a clone of Windows. It is a better unix, with gui. Let's keep it like this. Back to the roots.

[BLTicklemonster]

I found this on distro watch and looked in here to see if anyone was paying any attention to it.

I like the idea of putting stuff in one place.

I'm downloading it now, and will run the live cd to see how I like it.

(also dl-ing pclinuxos to see how I like it, too I guess I'm wanting to look around and see what else is out there. Other than that Slackware 7.1 monstrosity sitting in a box on my book shelf across the room, that is)

[smartboyathome]

If you are downloading PCLOS, don't dualboot it with Ubuntu, it will end in disaster (it did for me). Also, I am paying a lot of attention to this. I asked on their forum about the gobohide patch, they said that it wouldn't be a good idea to use it outside of Gobohide.

[Aposp]

well , its clearly negative to have a more windowz perspective on keeping program fiels. unix logic on build is clearly superior on that.


Cant see a YES without a doubt.
after alll i might be hardcore ut yeah, i think that gog distro failed on that.

[ar2000jp]

Well, this is definitely a good idea, not just for change, but for the benefits.

I don't know for sure, but I think the UNIX FSH is composed of short coded names because of historical reasons, maybe because back in the old days, programmers used to leave out some comments, or use short names for variables and functions, and use some other tricks just to make the source code's size smaller, because disk space was expensive, which is not the case anymore.

Now what I care about is code and FSH readability, and I'm already working on getting rid of the alphabet-soup variable and function name habits.

To me, Windows's FSH is totally ugly and useless, the "Windows" folder looks like it was hacked in 10 minutes, and the "Program Files" folder looks like Corporation turf wars field, and the user folders is totally scary, that's one of the things that makes me hate Windows more and more, but sadly, I'm forced to use it.

But GoboLinux looks different, it looks elegant, useful, and open minded.

I really wish that everyone put's aside his other non-technical reasons, and really think about the benefits of GoboLinux's way, and also realize that good OS's is not just technically amazing, but also aesthetically appealing to everyone, even programmers.

Sorry for the long post and my bad English

[dsiembab]

I have to agree with their file system, What is your time worth? What I mean by that is why should you have to go to 4 different folders just to change one application?

[smartboyathome]

I tried gobolinux. I like the filesystem structure, but not much else. Especially their package "installer".

[MetalheadGautham]

I think its about time linux based distros started concidering single folder containing entire app as a reality. Having an application in a single folder where all configuration is also stored essentially adds much more customisability to placement of programs in one's OS. You can also have portable programs.

Already games like Urban Terror for linux are using the one folder per app approach and I think its awssome. This is one of those few feilds where windows and macintosh beat linux.

While the older placement should not be removed, as centralised locationing helps us a lot, an inbuilt support and encouragement for one folder per app style programs should be there. We can have something like JAR files, with a app.tar style archieve containing the entire app, and the configurations stored in an app.conf text doccument. The archieve can be given a custom extention and made recoganisable by the OS, and this concept advertised, sponsered and encouraged.

.deb packages and .rpm packages of programs can start having an install option that installs the application as a single file app.

But other than this, I don't think the original filesystem hierarchy needs to be changed. It will prove to be hardly useful, and only break older packages. Instead, enabling users to install single file apps anywhere they like is a good idea.