How I install personal versions of programs (on Unix) - cks

Chris Siebenmann on managing personal builds and binaries:

I also have both a general ~/bin directory, for general scripts and other architecture independent things, and a ~/bin/bin. subdirectory, for architecture dependent things. When I install a program into ~/lib// and want to use it, I will make either a symbolic link or a cover script in ~/bin/bin. for it, such as '~/bin/bin./emacs'. This symbolic link or cover script always points to what I want to use as the current version of the program, and I update it when I want to switch.