[MacPorts] #18602: Prevent MacPorts from being configured with --prefix=/usr/local

[Ryan Schmidt]

On Feb 22, 2009, at 22:10, Rainer Müller wrote:

>> #18602: Prevent MacPorts from being configured with --prefix=/usr/ 
>> local
>> ------------------------------------- 
>> +--------------------------------------
>>  Reporter:  ryandesign@…             |       Owner:  macports- 
>> tickets@…
>>      Type:  defect                   |      Status:  new
>>  Priority:  Normal                   |   Milestone:  MacPorts 1.8.0
>> Component:  base                     |     Version:  1.7.0
>>  Keywords:                           |        Port:
>> ------------------------------------- 
>> +--------------------------------------
>>  MacPorts should not allow users to configure it with
>>  `--prefix=/usr/local`. Doing so surely breaks some ports, such as
>>  [comment:ticket:15778:3 macfuse].
>
> I don't think we should forbid it completely. Adding a warning and a
> link to the appropriate FAQ entry should be enough.



The most compelling reason I can think of to forbid prefix from  
being /usr/local is that most software installs there by default when  
configured without specifying a prefix. This means it would be very  
easy for someone to overwrite something installed by MacPorts, or at  
least to install software into the MacPorts prefix, if they  
configured something by hand and forgot to (or did not know they  
should) specify a different prefix.

There are also binary packages that install into /usr/local. MySQL  
and Graphviz come to mind. Ok, the MySQL binary installs into /usr/ 
local/mysql-${version} so it won't conflict with MacPorts software,  
but that's still under /usr/local. Graphviz installs to prefix /usr/ 
local. I asked them not to do this but I was unable to dissuade them.