FVWM: new to fvwm am i

From: <root_at_dilbert.me.uiuc.edu>
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 1996 16:45:17 -0600

Hello. I've just installed fvwm 2 level 40 on my ibm rs6k 320,
under AIX 3.2.5.1. While it's fresh in my mind I thought I'd
provide some feedback on the install process.

I have two years part-time experience administering a single
rs6k 360, and I am not an idiot, but in general I found the
install somewhat confusing and difficult.

My usual habit on installs is to download the tar file to my
own home directory and build it there, then su root and install
it in /usr/local. (I try to keep mods to the rest of /usr to
an absolute minimum, in case I ever have to reinstall the system
from the University install server.)

Of course I didn't have imake, had never heard of it, so I had
to go find that first. The INSTALL instructions directed me
to ftp.X.org but there is a lot there. I concluded (perhaps
mistakenly) that imake was no longer available unbundled from
the rest of X11R5, and went looking elsewhere. I found imake
stand-alone at ftp.primate.wisc.edu. I gave the quick-start
instructions a shot and it appeared to build correctly. That
was the first two hours. On to fvwm.

Bug:

The configure.h file could use a few more instructions.
In particular:

/* Where do you want the fvwm binaries installed. */
/* #define FVWM_BINDIR /usr/bin/X11 */

I changed FVWM_BINDIR to /usr/local/bin/X11, and the make
process eventually quit with: mkdirhier not found.
It appears that things are set up to also use FVWM_BINDIR as
the path for mkdirhier, in addition to "where to install
the binaries". During the imake build my mkdirhier was
placed in /usr/local/bin. This is the only thing I would
call a genuine bug in the install process.

Suggest clarification:

Upon completion of the install, I found that while fvwm
itself had been installed in /usr/local/bin as I'd intended,
the sanctity of my /usr/lib/X11 had been violated by a
new directory fvwm, with FvwmAudio, FvwmCpp, FvwmIdent, etc.
Upon reexamining the configure.h file, I noted:

 ** FVWMDIR is the install dir for all execs
Received on Sun Jan 21 1996 - 16:45:10 GMT