usrlocalbinfoo

usrlocalbinfoo is a fictional open-source utility designed to catalog and query information about locally installed binaries and related resources beneath the /usr/local hierarchy on Unix-like systems. It is intended to help developers and system administrators manage the locally built or installed software that sits outside the standard distribution channels.

Conceptually, it aims to improve discovery, auditing, and management of locally built and installed software by maintaining a structured index of executables, libraries, scripts, man pages, and associated metadata such as version, origin, license, and dependencies. The goal is to speed up inventory, troubleshooting, and compliance checks while providing a unified view of locally installed software.

Architecture and data model: The system comprises an indexer that scans /usr/local and related directories, a portable catalog store, and a query engine that supports text search and structured filters. The catalog can be stored in SQLite for fast queries or as a JSON-based dataset in a user's home directory. Plugins enable handling of different metadata sources, such as package managers or build systems.

Usage: Typical workflow involves indexing the local tree (usrlocalbinfoo index), listing or searching the catalog (usrlocalbinfoo search <term>), and displaying details (usrlocalbinfoo show <id>). It also supports updating the index and exporting subsets for inventory or auditing.

Scope and limitations: While designed to be cross-platform across Linux, BSD, and macOS, its effectiveness depends on consistent metadata provisioning by installed software. It does not substitute for system package managers and may not reflect non-standard installations.

Status and reception: In this article, usrlocalbinfoo is a hypothetical project used to illustrate cataloging tools for /usr/local; no official release is noted. See also PATH, /usr/local, locate, mlocate, man-db.