Hi,
I still like to keep /usr/local/* open for my own-own-very-own sandbox when I find myself having to compile my own things, however.
I use ~/bin for that. It's easier to work in a non-hidden directory.
I guess there is not much point to argue anyway, to each his own.
Not argue -- discussing pros and cons for the sake of posterity :-)
I wouldn't have thought to dump my own compiled stuff in ~/bin, which seems to take care of what most people use /usr/local/* for ... but doesn't it create things like ~/libexec, ~/lib, ~/share, etc. when you compile your own packages with "--prefix=/User/myaccount"?
On OS X, "official" packages are in /usr/bin and I don't touch those. I read people telling they replaced /usr/bin/ruby and I think *that* is the bad idea.
Oh yeah, I'm w/ you on that one -- bad idea.
-steve