[Info-vax] Where to locate software

[Steven Schweda]

> For those applications which don't automatically install
> where should I locate them such that I can run them from any
> directory?

   The answer might depend on exactly which application, but,
in most (if not all) cases, you can put anything anywhere you
want.  You can use DCL$PATH to specify where executables will
be sought, but I prefer the (old/original) "foreign command"
scheme of defining a DCL symbol to specify what to run for a
particular command/verb.  For some programs, you may need to
define one or more logical names.  Such foreign-command
symbols are normally defined in a system- or user-login DCL
script (normally SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGIN.COM or
SYS$LOGIN:LOGIN.COM, respectively).  System-wide logical
names can be defined in SYS$MANAGER:SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM. 
User-specific logical names can be defined in the user's
SYS$LOGIN:LOGIN.COM.

   For example, around here, most executables are placed in a
UTILITY directory:

alp $ show logical utility
   "UTILITY" = "UTILITY_DEV:[UTILITY]" (LNM$SYSTEM_TABLE)

alp $ show logical utility_dev
   "UTILITY_DEV" = "SYS$SYSDEVICE:" (LNM$SYSTEM_TABLE)
1  "SYS$SYSDEVICE" = "ALP$DKC0:" (LNM$SYSTEM_TABLE)

   And a typical program has an appropriate DCL symbol
defined, such as:

alp $ show symbol curl
  CURL == "$ UTILITY:CURL.EXE"