[xubuntu-users] shell tools

[Ulli Horlacher]

On Sun 2017-01-08 (19:59), pereira wrote:

> > Everbody working with the shell should know what $PATH is.
> > If you do not know what a shell is, then fstools is nothing for you.

> Actually, I did know just enough to get the $PATH added, but as you
> pointed out, not in what you consider the right way, by adding the path
> to .profile. In your comment on this you educated me, so that's how I
> learn. Another post mentioned that your way of doing it is not necessarily
> the canonical (that is, preferred; not the Ubuntu people) way, so now
> I'm in doubt again.

I do not write programs just for Ubuntu. Seldomly I wrote Linux-only code.
Normally my programs are generic for all UNIX systems, even MacOS.

Therefore I do not support any "Ubuntu preferred" installation.
Anyone who thinks it is necessary is invited to add a specific installer.

Though I am German, I have NEVER written German programs. All my
programs are in English, because this is the world languange.
See http://fex.rus.uni-stuttgart.de:8080/
All other languages, even German, are contributions from others.
This is the way how open source works: someone creates an interesting
program and others contribute to it.

Back to fstools:
The traditional place to set $PATH is /etc/profile (or /etc/profile.d/*)
and $HOME/.profile

This is UNIX basic knowhow, which I premise, like how to start a shell in
a terminal or using a keyboard. I offer no extra explanation on these
topics.


> >> Better yet would be to package fstools as something that installs them
> >> the newfangled debian/unix way with apt-get
> > fstools is free software: just do it.
> I would if I could. I can't.  In this I depend on people more expert 
> than me, and
> I appreciate their contributions. Sorry.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuDevelopment/NewPackages


> You mentioned sw as a Stuttgart-written way to distribute software.

It is called "/sw" - with a leading slash! It is important :-)


> happened to have
> downloaded the executables swlink (or something), and tried to learn 
> what they are
> doing.

SWlink is just one script (not a binary executable) of the whole systems.
You cannot use it standalone.

I admit, the /sw documentation is not very good, because It was never
planned to use it outside of the University of Stuttgart.

I have added then http://fex.belwue.de/swinstall for "foreigners"
especially to have a generic update machanism for my fstools.


> I saw it uses /etc/os-release, which is so well-named that there is no
> doubt about what it's good for but I did not know existed. It's good to
> know though

Not every UNIX has this file, not even every Linux!
It is just common for some distributions.

-- 
Ullrich Horlacher              Server und Virtualisierung
Rechenzentrum TIK         
Universitaet Stuttgart         E-Mail: horlacher at tik.uni-stuttgart.de
Allmandring 30a                Tel:    ++49-711-68565868
70569 Stuttgart (Germany)      WWW:    http://www.tik.uni-stuttgart.de/
REF:<ea35cc98-c4bf-ebc9-67d1-96d6759c3368 at gmail.com>