File locations for cabal-install

[Esa Ilari Vuokko]

Hi

On 5/22/06, Isaac Jones <ijones at syntaxpolice.org> wrote:
> Alson Kemp <alson at alsonkemp.com> writes:
>
> >> A question for the group:
> >>    Where should cabal-install's various files go?

Here's my Windows-user-opinions.  I am not sure they follow
any real guidelines, if there are such for packaging systems
in Windows.

> >> Files:
> >>    server.list - one line config file with the Hackage server
> >> location,
> >> basically never modified;
> >>    package.list - the listing of packages available on the Hackage
> >> server;
> >>    packages/ - the directory in which all of the downloaded packages
> >> are stored.
> >>
> >> Options:
> >>    1) Proper: /etc/server.list,
>
> Definitely!

On Windows, registry or file next to executable.

Registry path
HKCU\Software\Cabal\Cabal-install\
od HKLM\Software\Cabal\Cabal-install\
depending mode: user-only vs Administrator (or however
rights go).

> >> /var/local/lib/cabal-install/package.list,
> >> /var/local/lib/cabal-install/packages/.  A bit dogmatic and I'm not
> >> sure how it maps onto non-*nix systems, but it's the Right Thing to
> >> do
> >> on *nix.
>
> I don't know about /var/local.  There's nothing in that directory on
> my Debian system.  /var/lib maybe, or /var/cache.

In Windows, this would is a question user answer when during
install.  Path should be stored in registry or file next to executable.

> >>    2) Easy: everything goes in $lib-prefix/cabal-install.  Isn't the
> >> prettiest solution, but it's functional.  Maps onto Windows well.
> >> Users will never directly see or use these files, so
> >> $lib-prefix/cabal-install.  (GHC does this with its package.conf.)
>
> I think that'll be broken for Debian which doesn't want random files
> in /usr/lib changing that much.

I'd think this would be ok for most Windows users, but it's sort of
unorganised.

HTH,
--Esa