ext3 file system and pacman queries

Xs1t0ry · 2008-03-02 01:49:26

I feel quite stupid making this thread. I have a couple of questions, fundamentals, that I need addressed. Mostly, they revolve around pacman and apps. Here we go!

1. When I install a package/program (are these terms interchangeable?), where does it go?

2. When one installs a program from pacman, is it either compressed or in executable form?

3. What is the Linux equivalent of .exe?

Once these questions are answered, more will come. Thanks, in advance!

SiC · 2008-03-02 02:26:14

When you install a package, there is information in the package that tells pacman where to put it. This could be /usr/bin in the case of a program. Each package comes in a .tar.gz format which is compressed to save time and bandwidth when downloading, but when it is installed it is no longer in an uncompressed form.

Linux itself does not have a .exe format, this is just a file extension that tells windows that the file is an executable binary. However in the *nix environment you have a lot more options with regards to files being executable and not all of them are binary. It also has a much more complex permissions system which allows granular control over who can read, write or execute a particular file.

If you perform ls -l at a command shell then you will see the different permissions each file has. If you have executable rights to a particular file, and it is of an executable form that your OS recognises, then you will be able to run it. Simple as that. If it is not executable, but you still have executable rights on it, then it won't run, and so on. It might be worth reading a tutorial somewhere about how the filesystem and linux operate.

carlocci · 2008-03-02 02:29:28

1) It depends on the software you install.
Usually its files get split in the filesystem: binaries (the executables) and scripts goes in /bin and /usr/bin
configuration files in /etc (and the program might create some files for per-user configuration in your home directory)
other generic data (man pages, images, licenses) in /usr/share/
etc
As for bigger projects or games, I have kdemod and quake3 in /opt/.
It really depends on the program and on who packaged it.

The package contains stuff, not necessairely a program, hence the name.

2) The file pacman downloads is .tar.gz which is linuxian for compressed archive. You can open it in your desktop manager to see what's inside and then praise pacman's simplicity (remember to tick "show hidden files").

3)

carlocci ~  $  cd /bin
carlocci /bin  $  file ls
ls: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), for GNU/Linux 2.6.16, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped

Xs1t0ry · 2008-03-02 02:47:47

Thanks! So once you have an application, you can run it in your GUI by clicking on it... and it has a specific command to start it using the CLI as well, right? Also, if a program is meant to be run in a DE, say Firefox, if you type the command to execute it before you start your GUI (like when you first log in) what will happen? Error? Or will it start the GUI and then execute?

tigrmesh · 2008-03-02 03:36:04

Xs1t0ry wrote:

Also, if a program is meant to be run in a DE, say Firefox, if you type the command to execute it before you start your GUI (like when you first log in) what will happen? Error? Or will it start the GUI and then execute?

You'll get an error. Firefox needs a gui in order to run. (I just tried it)

ebirtaid · 2008-03-02 04:04:55

you could set it to run firefox in .xinitrc though and use startx to start just firefox

abhidg · 2008-03-02 04:46:47

Type "man hier" in a terminal, and you'll understand what the directories like /etc/ /usr/ in linux contain.

SiC · 2008-03-02 05:01:55

tigrmesh wrote:

Xs1t0ry wrote:
Also, if a program is meant to be run in a DE, say Firefox, if you type the command to execute it before you start your GUI (like when you first log in) what will happen? Error? Or will it start the GUI and then execute?
You'll get an error. Firefox needs a gui in order to run. (I just tried it)

Indeed, you'll get an error advising you that it cannot open a display. All applications require an environment to run in order to operate. So to run a gui app you need the gui running. Of course you can run an application from a terminal session and it will open in the currently running graphical session fine.

Arch Linux

#1 2008-03-02 01:49:26

ext3 file system and pacman queries

#2 2008-03-02 02:26:14

Re: ext3 file system and pacman queries

#3 2008-03-02 02:29:28

Re: ext3 file system and pacman queries

#4 2008-03-02 02:47:47

Re: ext3 file system and pacman queries

#5 2008-03-02 03:36:04

Re: ext3 file system and pacman queries

#6 2008-03-02 04:04:55

Re: ext3 file system and pacman queries

#7 2008-03-02 04:46:47

Re: ext3 file system and pacman queries

#8 2008-03-02 05:01:55

Re: ext3 file system and pacman queries

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