Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jarthur!ucivax!ucla-cs!ucla-seas!crowe.seas.ucla.edu From: plinio@crowe.seas.ucla.edu (Plinio Barbeito/) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Standardized disk layout/folder names Message-ID: <2232@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU> Date: 21 Mar 91 08:25:02 GMT Sender: news@SEAS.UCLA.EDU Organization: SEASnet, University of California, Los Angeles Lines: 96 Again, as long as we're on the subject of standards, how do people feel about having some sort of disk layout standard, like Unix has (i.e. the binaries are kept in /bin, system database files are kept in /etc, user files are kept in /usr, manuals for programs are kept in /usr/man, and so on). Having a standard of a few common directories would mean that programs could make assumptions about directory structure to allow users that aren't expert enough to edit files or pathname lists or just "don't know what the heck is going on" to get by with few problems most of the time they use or install applications. Installation scripts or programs could be distributed for each program that would automatically take care of unpacking, putting the binary, the manual file and help file(s) in standardized directories, adding a line to the desktop.inf so that double clicking a data file starts the application, and...(do you want to add anything?) For GEM applications that require at most one resource file but no other extra files, we might have one directory to put these (I call it c:/gembin on my system) and store the doc files in say, c:/usr/gemdoc so that they're only two mouse clicks away. Where to keep the resource file? I'd put it in c:/rsc or out of the way in c:/usr/gemrsc if possible, but some programs require the rsc file to be around the prg file (or even worse, in the root directory). For bigger GEM applications, some of these require an obnoxious /itsfatname folder to be present. We may have no choice but to continue this trend. I would prefer to put these folders in c:/gembin myself, or under something like c:/wordproc or c:/apps. The day might come when a novice user could install software on his hard disk by simply double clicking on the standardly named install.prg (or install.sh, or whatever), not having to know anything about GEM other than how to open "things" on the desktop. That reason alone (the continued sanity of non-quasi-experts in the user base) is why I haven't been one of the many critics complaining that Atari shouldn't have made the hard disk on the TT a standard option (I feel justified in complaining about its price, in Canada at least). People might balk at the inconvenience of putting GEM applications too many levels below the root directory. OK, maybe now it is, but if we had a builtin desktop that allowed putting frequently used executables on the desktop next to the file icons, this wouldn't be a problem. Neodesk and probably some other replacement desktops allow this, but forcing people to buy something to be part of a standard is a great incentive not to follow the standard. Put this one off, I guess. Another thing to think about is the partitioning scheme, but that may be too device dependent for us to agree on a standard (some people may have 20M, others 200M). If we wanted to get around that, looks like mounting one partition from another is the nicest solution (so that /bin on c: is actually linked to the root of d:, for example). When TOS will allow this is a good question. An alternate file system running under MiNT seems like our nearest chance for this. So, to sum up, how about these preliminary choices: What Where When -------- ------ ---- 'Text' Binaries c:/bin Small GEM Binaries c:/gembin Large GEM Binaries (In the application's folder) now c:/gembin/ future RSC files (no choice) now c:/usr/gemrsc future 'Text' program Doc files c:/usr/man Small GEM App doc files c:/usr/gemdoc Large GEM App doc files (In the application's folder) now c:/usr/gemdoc/ future 'Text' program help files c:/usr/man/extra ? Large GEM App Help files (In the application's folder) now Large GEM App Help files c:/usr/gemhelp/ future System database files c:/etc Fonts c:/gemsys or whatever now c:/etc/fonts future desktop.inf file / now /etc/desktop.inf future Accessories to load / now check /, then /usr/accs future pre-GEM programs to load /auto now check /auto, then /usr/auto future Well, post up what y'all think. Look out -- if this gets far enough maybe Atari will include some of our ideas for this on its new TT disks, or even ask official developers to abide by it. It will be worth it even if it gets them to think in that direction. plin -- ----- ---- --- -- ------ ---- --- -- - - - plinio@seas.ucla.edu I don't think, I'm crazy.