Why do softwares install themselves in /usr/lib?
I have been using Linux servers for years now and I keep on being confused
by the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. Usually, I can live with the
confusion. But now that I am developing my own software for Linux, I need
to understand where it is supposed to be installed by package managers.
I was pretty convinced that /opt was the perfect location for my
application. But after having investigate my Debian filesystem, I'm not
sure anymore : a lot of softwares are actually installed in /usr/lib ! To
name a few : MySQL, MySQLWorkbench, Nautilus, Rythmbox...
According to the FHS, /usr/lib is supposed to contain "Libraries for
programming and packages" and "includes object files, libraries, and
internal binaries that are not intended to be executed directly by users
or shell scripts" (See here).
A lot of softwares located in /usr/lib of my debian server are not
libraries or internal binaries but full-fledged user executable softwares
!
I'm still on track to have my application installed in /opt. But I really
would like to understand if this is correct and, above all, why.
Thanks by advance for your kind advices,
Eric.
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