Emacs libexecdir setting

[Randy McMurchy]

Could someone that knows anything about Emacs see if the libexecdir setting of /usr/sbin is correct? What files are installed there because of it?

There is a very old bug I'd like to close about examining all the instances of libexecdir=/usr/sbin and Emacs is the only package that is outstanding.

This bug can be closed if we cannot get an answer, but that would be a shame as it would be the only one not checked out.

Additionally, it would be nice if the libexecdir setting was explained in the command explanations.

[dnicholson@…]

From what I can tell, the only useful thing libexecdir does is set the base location for archlibdir. That's why the current page has the directory /usr/sbin/emacs. However, this looks wrong. From lib-src/Makefile.in:

/* Install the internal utilities.  Until they are installed, we can
   just run them directly from lib-src.  */
${archlibdir}: all
        @echo
        @echo "Installing utilities run internally by Emacs."
        $(top_srcdir)/mkinstalldirs ${archlibdir}
        if [ `(cd ${archlibdir} && /bin/pwd)` != `/bin/pwd` ]; then \
          for file in ${UTILITIES}; do \
            $(INSTALL_PROGRAM) $(INSTALL_STRIP) $$file ${archlibdir}/$$file ; \
          done ; \
        fi

Those binaries are only intended to be run internally. Probably would be better with --libexecdir=/usr/lib since /emacs is tacked on automatically for archlibdir in configure.

[bdubbs@…]

Doing a test build with:

   BUILDDIR=/tmp/emacs
   ./configure --prefix=$BUILDDIR/install/usr &&
   make bootstrap &&
   make install

then ls /tmp/emacs/install/usr gives:

bin info libexec man share

ls -R /tmp/emacs/install/usr/libexec gives

/tmp/emacs/install/usr/libexec:
emacs

/tmp/emacs/install/usr/libexec/emacs:
21.4

/tmp/emacs/install/usr/libexec/emacs/21.4:
i686-pc-linux-gnu

/tmp/emacs/install/usr/libexec/emacs/21.4/i686-pc-linux-gnu:
cvtmail     emacsserver  fns-21.4.1.el  movemail  rcs2log     vcdiff
digest-doc  fakemail     hexl           profile   sorted-doc  yow

/usr/libexec is clearly not IAW the FHS.

We still need --libexecdir=something

Seems like it should be /usr/lib

I'll go ahead and change it.

[bdubbs@…]

Fixed at revision 5949.