init: API

[Bojan Smojver]

Quoting Avi Kivity <avi at argo.co.il>:

> I object. This requirement will keep us in the 1970s forever. It has 
> already inflicted enough damage in forcing untold millions to learn 
> vi.
>
> This distinction between /bin and /usr/bin is completely artificial. 
> If initrd (or whatever) was able to find our /, it should be able to 
> find our /usr.

At present, FHS 2.3 states:

-------------------------
3.4. /bin : Essential user command binaries (for use by all users)

3.4.1. Purpose
/bin contains commands that may be used by both the system 
administrator and by users, but which are required when no other 
filesystems are mounted (e.g. in single user mode). It may also contain 
commands which are used indirectly by scripts. 1

[snip]

1. Command binaries that are not essential enough to place into /bin 
must be placed in /usr/bin, instead. Items that are required only by 
non-root users (the X Window System, chsh, etc.) are generally not 
essential enough to be placed into the root partition.
-------------------------

I would appear that system init is one of those things that should rely 
on "essential" things only (because it is itself in charge of mounting 
those unmounted file systems). At least IMHO.

Basically, you should submit such a change request to FHS folks, given 
that Fedora strives to implement that standard as close as possible. 
Systems like Solaris stopped making the /bin /usr/bin distinction a 
while ago, but that doesn't necessarily mean Linux (or Fedora) should 
do the same.

Note that I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your proposal (nor am I 
necessarily agreeing :-), but merely pointing out the state of 
standards Fedora is attempting to implement at present.

-- 
Bojan