Christian Walther <cwa### [at] gmxch> wrote:
> Russell Towle wrote:
his folder is invisible
> > to the Finder!
>
> What Mac-specific documents are those? I can't find any Mac-specific
> documentation in the Unix source release.

First, thanks for responding; second, you are right of course, there is
nothing Mac-specific. There is a moment of almost Mac-specific when the
configure script or whatever recognizes the i686.

Again, I am ignorant. Despite having gone to UNIX tutorial sites and looked
through and tried some examples.


> > Also, the UNIX version, in its install instructions, recommends installing
> > as Root. Why? Why in the world invoke this horrific power? One can just as
> > easily install as the default Administrator.
>
> Of course you can install into your own home folder without being root,
> but I assume we're talking about /usr/local here.

Forgive my ignorance and somewhat misplaced attemtp at humor. But to me,
when I tried to install the UNIX version, well, there was no "usr" folder.
That kind of threw me. Then at last I created a Root account, password, and
did it the way the Install instructions suggested. This led to problems, or
rather, what I perceived as problems: having to type in my password to run
POV, etc.


> If you are really able to write in /usr as a non-root user, then
> something's seriously wrong. But I doubt that this is the case. When you
> try to copy something into a folder for which you don't have write
> permission using the Finder, it presents you an authentication panel,
> and providing your administrator password there effectively makes you
> root (for that single operation). That's why it works - you are not
> avoiding the "horrific power" of root.


I am beginning to understand that there *is* a finely-tuned complex of
permissions.


> The same thing happens when you install software using the Installer
> application, or when you say "sudo make install" on the command line
> (which is what you're supposed to do here - you can't use "su" on Mac OS
> X because you can't log in as root): by authenticating as an
> administrator, you give root privileges to the Installer or to the
> "make" utility, enabling it to install files in /usr or wherever it likes.


Thank you so much, Christian, for helping me understand this.

Ultimately, when I finally installed successfully, I created a folder,
pasted its path into the install script, and skipped su or sudo or
anything, just make install, as I recall.

To me, though, it was shocking, and I had to laugh at myself, when I found
that the 'usr' folder which had caused me so much grief was there all
along!

Hmm. Not a studly geek after all.

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