Installation Question

Installation Question

[exits funnel]

Hello,

This is probably more of a general linux/unix question
than an EMACS question but here goes:  I've been using
emacs 20.7.1 on RedHat linux 7.2 for sometime now and
I just decided to upgrade to a newer EMACS version.  I
downloaded the 21.3.1 source from gnu.org and ran
configure and make without any problem.  I tested the
resulting binary which worked fine.  I then ran make
install which proceeded without error.  The result
seems to be that the new version is resting in
/usr/local/bin but /usr/bin which is first in my path
so when I try to run emacs I'm still getting the old
one.  I realize I could swap the order of the
directories in my path but I'm wondering what the
conventional solution is?  Should I just remove the
version in /usr/local/bin?  What's the difference
between /usr/local/bin and /usr/bin anyway?  Should
the install script have copied 21.3 to /usr/local/bin?
 Sorry for the rambling post but I just want to make
sure I have everything in the right place :)

-exits

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Re: Installation Question

[Jesper Harder]

exits funnel <exitsfunnel@yahoo.com> writes:

> The result seems to be that the new version is resting in
> /usr/local/bin but /usr/bin which is first in my path so when I try
> to run emacs I'm still getting the old one.  I realize I could swap
> the order of the directories in my path but I'm wondering what the
> conventional solution is?

That's what I do.

> Should I just remove the version in /usr/local/bin?

If you have tested that the new version works to your satisfaction,
you could just remove the old version -- 'rpm -e emacs'.

> What's the difference between /usr/local/bin and /usr/bin anyway?

/usr/local/bin is for executables installed locally, and /usr/bin for
executables supplied by the distribution, see hier(7).

Re: Installation Question

[Tim McNamara]

exits funnel <exitsfunnel@yahoo.com> writes:

> The result seems to be that the new version is resting in
> /usr/local/bin but /usr/bin which is first in my path so when I try
> to run emacs I'm still getting the old one.  I realize I could swap
> the order of the directories in my path but I'm wondering what the
> conventional solution is?  Should I just remove the version in
> /usr/local/bin?

No, that's the one you want to be running.  One potential approach-
not saying this is the correct or best one- is to change the name of
/usr/bin/emacs (e.g., 'mv /usr/bin/emacs old.emacs') and then create a
link in /usr/bin called 'emacs' that links to /usr/local/bin/emacs
which is your shiny new version. I don't know the correct syntax for
this in Linux, it's a little different than in BSDish Unixen IIRC.

> What's the difference between /usr/local/bin and /usr/bin anyway?
> Should the install script have copied 21.3 to /usr/local/bin?

/usr/bin is for system-installed binaries, whereas /usr/local/bin is
for user install binaries (or so I've been told).  Often 'make
install' puts new software in /usr/local/bin to avoid overwriting the
old software.

Re: Installation Question

[Dan Anderson]

exits funnel <exitsfunnel@yahoo.com> writes:

        Many programs (including emacs) keep a symbolic link under
/usr/bin or /usr/local/bin as the main program -- this allows multiple
versions of the same program to exist.  So if I were you I'd ls -l
/usr/bin/emacs, and if it's a symbolic link, just delete it, and
create a new link to your new emacs.

-Dan

Re: Installation Question

[Martin Stemplinger]

On Don Dez 11 2003 at 19:35, exits funnel <exitsfunnel@yahoo.com> wrote:

> The result
> seems to be that the new version is resting in
> /usr/local/bin but /usr/bin which is first in my path
> so when I try to run emacs I'm still getting the old
> one.
/usr/local is the default location for local software installation which is
not part of the distribution. You can change the installation
location with the command line switches --prefix and --exec-prefix
for configure. ./configure --help tells you more. 

HTH
Martin
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