"Russell Towle" <rto### [at] inreachcom> wrote:
> Ok, well, I can say this: UNIX POV works great on the Mac, and if one uses X
> Windows (Apple's X11.app), one can settle into a routine of render, modify
> scene file, change resolution if necessary, re-render, just as one usually
> does, and it seems easy enough.

well, while we're at it, be sure to edit with vim, ok? ;)

> It is not nearly as nice as the Mac GUI versions, Official or MegaPov.

i recognize a gluton for punishment when i see one... :)

> "usr"
> folder but never once mentioned that, on the Mac, this folder is invisible
> to the Finder!

don't use the Finder then.  Use a command-line shell like good ol' Unix
tradition demands.  Your geek points will raise as well... :)

> Hence, I thought, "Oh well, they must mean my "Users" folder, and they must
> mean I should install somewhere in my Home folder, in my Users folder."

The traditional Unix filesystem is like this:

/ -> root directory ("folder").  it is just used as a hub for the others and
many more can just easily be "plugged-in"
/bin -> essential binaries/executables
/lib -> essential libs
/usr/bin -> system-wide installable apps
/usr/lib -> system-wide installable libs
/usr/local -> this is generally reserved for people compiling their own
programs or libs
/home -> yep
/var -> program logs and other data dumped by programs go here
/etc -> configuration files for programs and more
/dev -> special files representing physical devices

so, when you install a program in Unix in the standard way, executables are
placed in /usr/bin, any shared libs it uses go to /usr/lib and system-wide
configuration go to /etc, while user specific generally go as a "hidden"
file in your user /home directory, like ~/.povray -- files beginning with a
dot are "hidden" in Unix, ie, they don't get listed by the default ls
command just when the -a flag is used.  Hidden files are just text files
and you can edit then by something like vim ~/.povray

> installing
> as Root. Why? Why in the world invoke this horrific power? One can just as
> easily install as the default Administrator.

root is the default "Administrator" in the Unix world.  The account you talk
about may have some of its power, but probably with a lesser privilege
level.  Enough to allow you to install to those directories...

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