Re: Debian and SimplyGNUstep

[Björn Giesler]

Hi,

IMNSHO, one of the very greatest things about GNUstep/OpenStep/Darwin is that 
many software packages come with their own container directories: Bundles, 
Frameworks, Apps. These integrate very badly into standard Unix hierarchies 
(/usr/bin/Workspace.app/Workspace? Please no), and should not be ripped apart. 
From Apple's side, the trend seems to be towards this and away from the old way 
(there is less and less in /usr/include and more and more in 
/System/Library/Frameworks, for example). 

I personally think that this is a very big improvement over the standard Unix 
hierarchy. It gets much easier both for people and for software to see what is 
installed, check dependencies, etc. Package managers and installers get much 
less complicated and much more reliable, to the extent of being able to 
"uninstall" software by deleting a single item in the file manager. You can 
move and copy applications and frameworks (e.g. from an NFS volume shared by 
another application on the net) by copying a single item. Incredible amounts of 
complication just fall away.

I think GNUstep should follow that path instead of going back to the Unix 
hierarchy.

Hoping to actually make sense,
Björn