Multi-app packaging question

[waltdnes waltdnes org]

Hi;
  I was directed to this list by the Gnome webpage for questions about
packaging apps.  I've recently switched from Redhat to CRUX linux, which
doesn't have Gnome as part of its install.  Before embarking on a build
(or GARNOME) I wonder if anybody has done a simple drop-in binary distro
of multiple Gnome apps.  If not, I'd be interested in doing something
like so...

  - bunch of apps go to /opt/gnome_apps/bin
  - libraries     go to /opt/gnome_apps/lib
  - I would be able to tarball /opt/gnome_apps/ and drop it into another
    linux computer and run the apps with minimal fuss.  I'll need to
    update PATH, and probably ld.so.conf

  My questions are...
  1) Is this possible ?
  2) Has somebody already done this ?
  3) Is it possible to force this config with GARNOME ?

  The reason I'm asking is that I have one 1.8 ghz machine with 512 megs
of RAM and a couple of 433 mhz castoffs with 128 megs.  Running the Gnome
*DESKTOP* on the older machines is a joke.  However, under Redhat, I
could install Gnome (for the apps) and switch over to FVWM.  AbiWord,
Gimp, and Gnumeric actually run quite nicely under FVWM on the older
machines.  I figure that the build process and/or GARNOME would be
painfully slow on the older machines.  That's the reason to do it on
the new machine, and copy the installed files over to the older ones.

  If it works on my systems, other people might find it useful too.  I
had a look at http://www.pathname.com/fhs/  homepage of Filesystem
Hierarchy Standard. http://www.pathname.com/fhs/2.2/fhs-3.12.html is
quite clear that add-on apps should go into /opt/<packagename> and the
executables into /opt/<packagename>/bin.  If I'm going to do this, I may
as well do it right.  I'd also prefer an install that doesn't dump libs
and executables in with the rest of the system.  That's an incentive to
keep the addons in their own hierarchy.

  This project would be a bit of a learning experience for me.  I can
 ./configure --with-various-options && make && make install
and follow simple instructions, but I'm not a programmer.

-- 
Walter Dnes <waltdnes waltdnes org>
An infinite number of monkeys pounding away on keyboards will
eventually produce a report showing that Windows is more secure,
and has a lower TCO, than linux.