glfs/xincludes/qt-alternatives.xml
Bruce Dubbs ec7940be5b Rewrite Qt pages
Add corrections for some paths (e.g. man pages)
Tags


git-svn-id: svn://svn.linuxfromscratch.org/BLFS/trunk/BOOK@12783 af4574ff-66df-0310-9fd7-8a98e5e911e0
2014-02-25 19:00:30 +00:00

65 lines
3.3 KiB
XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE note PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
<!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../general.ent">
%general-entities;
]>
<!-- $LastChangedBy: $
$Date: $ -->
<sect2>
<title>Qt Installation Alternatives</title>
<para>The installation of <application>Qt</application> presents
several challenges and choices. Complicating the Qt installation is the fact
that there are two versions, <application>Qt4</application> and
<application>Qt5</application>, that have executable programs with
identical names. If both packages are installed on one system,
the only methods to manage which set of programs is used is to
either control the users' <envar>PATH</envar> or to rename files
either directly or via symbolic links. Both packages cannot
be installed in the same directory.
</para>
<para>If you are only going to install one of the Qt versions,
the choice of installation methods is easier. You can either
install the components in the several directories of the <filename
class='directory'>/usr</filename> hierarchy or install the
entire package in a separate directory of your choice. We
refer to these options below as "Method 1: Installing in /usr"
and "Method 2: Installing in /opt".</para>
<para>If both versions of Qt are to be installed, one or both versions need
to be installed in a separate directory. For the purposes here we use the
<filename class='directory'>/opt</filename> directory. The selection of
which version is being used by individual users on a system is controlled
by the <envar>PATH</envar> variable. Other systems can be designed, but
the BLFS editors find the <envar>PATH</envar> method easiest.</para>
<para> The advantage of installing in <filename
class='directory'>/usr</filename> is that no updates to the
<filename>/etc/ld.so.conf</filename> or
<filename>/etc/man_db.conf</filename> files are required. The package files
are distributed within several subdirectories of the <filename
class='directory'>/usr</filename> hierarchy. This is the method that most
commercial distributions use. The disadvantage for BLFS users is that this
Qt instance cannot be upgraded while it is in use. For instance, it cannot
be upgraded from a running KDE environment. It also precludes having
multiple versions of Qt on your system and does not allow reverting to
an existing, known working instance of Qt.</para>
<para> The advantage of installing <application>Qt</application> in a
custom directory such as
<filename class='directory'>/opt/qt-&qt4-version;</filename> or
<filename class='directory'>/opt/qt-&qt5-version;</filename> or
is that it keeps all the
package files consolidated in a dedicated directory hierarchy. By using
this method, an update can be made without overwriting a previous
installation and users can easily revert to a previous version by changing
one symbolic link or merely changing the PATH variable. It also allows a
developer to maintain multiple versions of <application>Qt4</application>
or <application>Qt5</application> for testing. </para>
</sect2>