[Solved] Whether to do a system-wide or home folder install

[CommRLock78]

I recently put up a post about a fresh 1.76 install, and it got me thinking about this topic. I had already played around with those options before when installing. Obviously, you have to use sudo to install Oolite system-wide, and gksudo nautilus to put any OXPs in the Addons folder, but I always go for a home folder install. So, as a new linux user (and, of course, about as dangerous as penguin with a superuser password), I'm wondering, for next time I need to install, which is the best way to go? - Or does it even matter?

[cim]

I recently put up a post about a fresh 1.76 install, and it got me thinking about this topic. I had already played around with those options before when installing. Obviously, you have to use sudo to install Oolite system-wide, and gksudo nautilus to put any OXPs in the Addons folder, but I always go for a home folder install. So, as a new linux user (and, of course, about as dangerous as penguin with a superuser password), I'm wondering, for next time I need to install, which is the best way to go? - Or does it even matter?

Even with a system-wide install you can use ~/.Oolite/Addons for your own addons.
Unless you have more than one user account on the machine that would like to play Oolite, you probably don't really gain anything from a system-wide install over a home folder install.

[CommRLock78]

Thanks for the reply cim

Even with a system-wide install you can use ~/.Oolite/Addons for your own addons.

Interesting, I don't know that I ever looked in the ~/.Oolite since I went system wide on my old machine. I'm still having trouble getting Oolite not to crash on that, but I think that's because of my lack of enough memory (I have only 512MB on that macine - I really need to put more in). I just checked ~/.Oolite on there and there isn't an Addons foler, so I just create one?

Unless you have more than one user account on the machine that would like to play Oolite, you probably don't really gain anything from a system-wide install over a home folder install.

Duh, that would make sense. I guess I was thinking that somehow a system wide might be more efficient somehow (but I suppose still worth asking since applications aren't generally installed to the home folder). I suppose in a way it is more efficient - by allowing other users to easily play the game - makes perfect sense. Thanks!

[SandJ]

Interesting, I don't know that I ever looked in the ~/.Oolite since I went system wide on my old machine. I just checked ~/.Oolite on there and there isn't an Addons foler, so I just create one?

Yes, but note it is [size=130]AddOns[/size] with a capital 'O'.

[CommRLock78]

Yes, but note it is [size=130]AddOns[/size] with a capital 'O'.

That's right! Thanks fellas. I hope this will help anyone else new to linux with the same question

[Thargoid]

The other useful bit about a system-wide installation is that trunk and test parallel installations can share an AddOns folder in the opt tree. So you can have installation-specific OXPs (like debug.oxp) in the user folder, but common ones in the opt folder to save duplication.

It's something I find quite nice (and something that's notably absent in the Windows way of doing things without some file-hacking).

[snork]

Duh, that would make sense. I guess I was thinking that somehow a system wide might be more efficient somehow (but I suppose still worth asking since applications aren't generally installed to the home folder). I suppose in a way it is more efficient - by allowing other users to easily play the game - makes perfect sense. Thanks!

generally, when using a restricted-rights account I'd prefer to have stuff installed in userspace, to avoid any potential problems from missing rights (to edit this or that file, or such stuff).

The other useful bit about a system-wide installation is that trunk and test parallel installations can share an AddOns folder in the opt tree. So you can have installation-specific OXPs (like debug.oxp) in the user folder, but common ones in the opt folder to save duplication.

It's something I find quite nice (and something that's notably absent in the Windows way of doing things without some file-hacking).

For Linux and Windows alike (NTFS 3.1 or higher, maybe also 3.0) you can always have this by symbolic links, that is well below file-hacking.

You just have your one-and-only-AddOns-folder, and in each Oolite installation you want to use that AddOns folder you replace the AddOns folder created from installer with a symlink to the one-and-only-AddOns-folder.
that's it.