[ruby-core:120419] [Ruby master Bug#20800] Don't place `ruby` executable into `/usr/libexec/x86_64-linux/bin`

["mame (Yusuke Endoh) via ruby-core" <ruby-core@ml.ruby-lang.org>]

Issue #20800 has been updated by mame (Yusuke Endoh).


The motivation is very clear, at least to me: The word “multiarch” seems to mean installing architecture-dependent files in separate arch-named directories; and "ruby" executable is architecture-dependent; it should be installed to any arch-named directory.

But to my surprise, https://wiki.debian.org/Multiarch/HOWTO says:

> Note that it does not enable multiple architecture versions of **applications** to be installed simultaneously.

So "multiarch" only applies to libraries and not to applications (i.e., executables)? If so, what a confusing and bad name "multiarch" is!

The name argument aside, you expect that the “ruby” executable to be installed into `$PREFIX/bin` by default, even though it is arch-dependent, right?

----------------------------------------
Bug #20800: Don't place `ruby` executable into `/usr/libexec/x86_64-linux/bin`
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/20800#change-111200

* Author: vo.x (Vit Ondruch)
* Status: Closed
* ruby -v: ruby 3.4.0dev (2024-10-15 master 3da3cabf98) +PRISM [x86_64-linux]
* Backport: 3.1: UNKNOWN, 3.2: UNKNOWN, 3.3: UNKNOWN
----------------------------------------
Trying to prepare Ruby 3.4 package for Fedora, it seems that since [1], the `ruby` executable is installed into `/usr/libexec/x86_64-linux/bin`:

~~~
installing binary commands:         /usr/libexec/x86_64-linux/bin
~~~

Unfortunately, the PR does not explain anything about reasons why. To me, using `libexec` is surprising, because according to FHS [2], the directory is for internal binaries. What is even more surprising is usage of the `bin` subdirectory there, which IMHO does not follow any standard or convention (I don't have `/usr/libexec/x86_64-linux/bin` directory on my Fedora yet).

Just FTR, these are the configuration options used:

~~~
/builddir/build/BUILD/ruby-3.4.0_20241016git3da3cabf98-build/ruby-3.4.0-3da3cabf98/configure --build=x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu --host=x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu --program-prefix= --disable-dependency-tracking --prefix=/usr --exec-prefix=/usr --bindir=/usr/bin --sbindir=/usr/sbin --sysconfdir=/etc --datadir=/usr/share --includedir=/usr/include --libdir=/usr/lib64 --libexecdir=/usr/libexec --localstatedir=/var --runstatedir=/run --sharedstatedir=/var/lib --mandir=/usr/share/man --infodir=/usr/share/info --with-rubylibprefix=/usr/share/ruby --with-archlibdir=/usr/lib64 --with-rubyarchprefix=/usr/lib64/ruby --with-sitedir=/usr/local/share/ruby/site_ruby --with-sitearchdir=/usr/local/lib64/ruby/site_ruby --with-vendordir=/usr/share/ruby/vendor_ruby --with-vendorarchdir=/usr/lib64/ruby/vendor_ruby --with-rubyhdrdir=/usr/include --with-rubyarchhdrdir=/usr/include '--with-sitearchhdrdir=$(sitehdrdir)/$(arch)' '--with-vendorarchhdrdir=$(vendorhdrdir)/$(arch)' --with-rubygemsdir=/usr/share/rubygems --with-ruby-pc=ruby.pc --with-compress-debug-sections=no --disable-rpath --enable-mkmf-verbose --enable-shared --with-ruby-version= --enable-multiarch --enable-yjit
~~~

The `--enable-multiarch` is among the options. It is used not because Fedora would be `multiarch`, but because it provides the highest flexibility.

[1]: https://github.com/ruby/ruby/pull/10010
[2]: https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/ch04s07.html



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