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(stow.info)Introduction

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Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Introduction
************

   Stow is a tool for managing the installation of multiple software
packages in the same run-time directory tree.  One historical difficulty
of this task has been the need to administer, upgrade, install, and
remove files in independent packages without confusing them with other
files sharing the same filesystem space.  For instance, it is common to
install Perl and Emacs in `/usr/local'.  When one does so, one winds up
with the following files(1) in `/usr/local/man/man1': `a2p.1';
`ctags.1'; `emacs.1'; `etags.1'; `h2ph.1'; `perl.1'; and `s2p.1'.  Now
suppose it's time to uninstall Perl.  Which man pages get removed?
Obviously `perl.1' is one of them, but it should not be the
administrator's responsibility to memorize the ownership of individual
files by separate packages.

   The approach used by Stow is to install each package into its own
tree, then use symbolic links to make it appear as though the files are
installed in the common tree.  Administration can be performed in the
package's private tree in isolation from clutter from other packages.
Stow can then be used to update the symbolic links.  The structure of
each private tree should reflect the desired structure in the common
tree; i.e. (in the typical case) there should be a `bin' directory
containing executables, a `man/man1' directory containing section 1 man
pages, and so on.

   Stow was inspired by Carnegie Mellon's Depot program, but is
substantially simpler and safer.  Whereas Depot required database files
to keep things in sync, Stow stores no extra state between runs, so
there's no danger (as there was in Depot) of mangling directories when
file hierarchies don't match the database.  Also unlike Depot, Stow will
never delete any files, directories, or links that appear in a Stow
directory (e.g., `/usr/local/stow/emacs'), so it's always possible to
rebuild the target tree (e.g., `/usr/local').

   For information about the latest version of Stow, you can refer to
http://www.gnu.org/software/stow/.

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) As of Perl 4.036 and Emacs 19.22.