I'm going back to my on and off relationship with linux. I wanna install some apps, but would like to know if there is a traditional directory (like the windows 'Program Files') where all the Linux people install their applications like staroffice and stuff. Or is it like the wonderful dos days where we were all free to install/copy/delete wherever and Bill Gates didn't totally 0wn our computers.

Do I put them in opt? what's that stand for anyway?

<font color=red><i>I refugee from Guatanamo Bay,
dance around the border like I'm Cassius Clay
</i></font color=red>

The official word is in the FHS, available from here:
<A HREF="http://www.pathname.com/fhs/" target="_new">http://www.pathname.com/fhs/</A>

Traditionally, apps have gone in any of the following (in the bin or sbin directories, usually):
/usr
/usr/local
/opt (for optional?)

Personally, I put most stuff under /usr, while some big non-distro packages like Staroffice and SAP DB live under /opt. I think the only things I have in /usr/local/ are some Loki games.

Reading the fhs document will explain things better than I can.

cheers


<font color=red><i>I refugee from Guatanamo Bay,
dance around the border like I'm Cassius Clay
</i></font color=red>