126
What is the /opt directory?
(lemmy.zip)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2024
126 points (97.7% liked)
Linux
48376 readers
1479 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
General use, when you can install software through your system's package manager then that's the preferred way to get software on your system. For the most part, those applications live under /usr
If for some reason you prefer to install the package manually, best practice is to install it outside /usr to avoid potential conflicts with existing system libraries. The /opt ("optional") system is a common place to install these apps. Many modern install scripts already default to using /opt
It's also convenient for backing up those apps.