[Mono-devel-list] Questions regarding Mono.

[Tom Larsen]

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004, Manoj Waikar wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I had posted these queries to the GotMono forum, but
> these weren't answered, so I am posting these to this
> group.
>
> I am a newbie to Linux and Mono. I have these doubts
> about Mono and also about any installation on Linux --
>
> 1) Initially, I wan unable to install Mono 1.0 but
> after reading the comments of one of the members
> (using --force --nodeps) option, I was able to install
> it. Now, where (in which directory) does the rpm
> command actually install mono?

First, you should really not ignore dependency problems.  If rpm says a
package dependency is missing, chances are the package will not function
correctly.  Unless you heavily modify your system outside of the rpm
package management then it is never wise to just ignore dependencies and
force and install.

I believe for the FC2 rpm, it put mono in /usr/bin.  I am not 100% sure
since I'm on a BSD at the moment. :-) You can find out the exact file
listings for any package by using "rpm --query --list somepackage".
In this case "rpm --query --list mono-core".

>
> 2) Is there some specific folder where installations
> done using rpm command go to? (e.g. in Windows, most
> of the installations by default, go to C:\Program
> Files... folder)

You don't need to hunt around for "program files" if your shell and
runtime library management are configured correctly.  "mono" itself is
just a runtime and does very little by itself.  There is no graphical
interface.  Just like when you install the MSI for the MS .Net Framework
1.1 there is simply very little that is usable by itself.  You need other
tools and programs that run it.

> 3) The xsp.exe is lying in my /usr/bin directory. So
> to run the server, I have to go to that directory and
> type mono xsp.exe, which starts the xsp server. But if
> I copy this exe to some other directory, and then type
> the same command, it still runs. How? I mean, aren't
> there any dependencies of the xsp.exe?

I don't understand this question.  Almost every modern executable format
is relocatable and file system position independent.  Windows, Linux, etc.
don't care where an executable is found and launched as long as all of its
runtime linkage is satisfied.

Copying files around to other locations should be discouraged since the
software was installed under package management.  When it comes time to
upgrade to mono-1.1, you'll still have an old "xsp.exe" that might have
difficulty running.  Use links or use shell scripts that feature
configurable location variables.

If you are really curious to see what "xsp.exe" I suppose you can use the
mono disassembler to inspect the manifest and see what it requires to run.

Tom Larsen