[racket] Distributions and paths

Thanks Matthew for all these answers. That clarifies some points.
(see private mail for details on the full paths)

On Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 14:49, Matthew Flatt <mflatt at cs.utah.edu> wrote:

> [Re-ordered questions]
>
> At Wed, 7 Jul 2010 14:34:51 +0200, Laurent wrote:
> > When the executable is launched, why does it not simply set the
> > current-directory to the root of the distribution,
>
> Many executables use the current directory to perform their work. For
> example, `raco exe prog.rkt' creates an executable from "prog.rkt" in
> the current directory, rather than forcing you to provide a complete
> pat for "prog.rkt".
>
> > so the executable can be
> > moved, depending on the OS?
>
> The executable can be moved, as long as the rest of the tree is moved
> with it. All path computations via `define-runtime-path' are relative
> to the executable.
>
> > I find the directory hierarchy that `assemble-distribution' creates a bit
> > disturbing (using runtime-paths):
> > - Why does the absolute path of my project appear in the distribution? I
> > wouldn't like a software I distribute to carry such information.
>
> Yes, that should be fixed. Can you tell me more about where it appears?
>
> (If a full path appears in the source, I'm not sure I can fix it, but
> I'm guessing that there's some other problem.)
>
> > - Why are my "img\", "docs\" and other subdirectories buried to a
> > (sub)^10-directory? I'd prefer them to remain simple sub-directories.
> >
> > I'm happy with runtime-paths talking care of copying all the required
> files,
> > and I understand runtime-paths ensure consistency across multiple OSes,
> but
> > I don't see why this implies such a complicated hierarchy for relative
> > sub-directories.
>
> For a Unix distribution, the expectation of some users is that they can
> unpack it in "/usr/local", the package's files will go to the right
> place, and the installation won't stomp on other installed software ---
> including, perhaps, other Racket-based software.
>
> Some layers of paths that you see keep files distinct while following
> common directory conventions. Some other layers avoid collisions
> between different files with the same name included by
> `define-runtime-path' Finally, some layers keep files that Racket needs
> separate from files included via `define-runtime-path'.
>
>
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