Where to install software downloads / builds

So I have a variety of aquired software

  • appimage, for example Bespoke synth comes as an appimage

  • stuff I’m building from github, such as Pipewire

  • gzip packages, such as Blender and Firefox

Where should I put them?

At the moment I’m just creating some folders in Home, one for each type.

I’ve read /opt is a good place to put them but does it really matter?

Also providing firefox for example in a flatpak that can’t connect to gnome extensions is really unfantastic for new users.

I’m using Clear Linux because btw because I’m fairly fresh to Linux, and so it seems to make sense to go with something also newish and learn that. This comes after having tried Windows 11 and decided the writing is on the wall for Windows.

I’ve been using this to get extensions: Extension Manager | Flathub

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I will try to answer in an informal manner, not making references to the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard .

3rd party softwares are usually installed in the /opt folder. I believe Blender would be one of them.

This things are very important if you are an administrator and share the server administration with other people. So it is good to follow the rules.

If you are the only user of your system or don’t want to install the softwares system wide, you do not need to follow these rules, despite I would recommend you to do so.

A good choice to get used to it would be to create a /home/your_user/opt folder, install your softwares there with user privilegies and (if required) create the sym links in a folder listed in your $PATH, usually /home/your_user/.local/bin (for legacy).

I believe this applies do CL also, despite it rethinks the Filesystem.

Cheers

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That document is great, thanks very much.
It’s just me using the system but I do want to organise things as coherently as possible so I’ll aim towards the /opt folder.

Going to be a bit of sheep herding exercise as I build stuff from source and work out how to package it, install it and run it, and then update it. Some of it seems a bit like pitching a tent and then moving the sleeping bag somewhere underneath a tree when you want to sleep in it. Should have pitched it under the tree in the first place but now it’s there with all the guide ropes banged in.

Just getting used to symlinks actually being easy to use after the general failure of links over the years as an NT user, where they never seemed to be much use.

cheers.