So emacs basically works whereever you install it or extract it. I’m installing the 24.4 version which isn’t in yast yet. As a new linux user though, where would be a good place to put it in terms of convention or security? Thanks.
If you check out ‘Show unstable packages’, then you’ll find 24.4 is evailable from editors repo
https://software.opensuse.org/package/emacs
and you won’t have to worry about where it installs. 
FWIW, the emacs rpm installs the executables in /usr/bin, with most of the other files located in /usr/share/emacs/
On 2014-12-16 02:56, workisfun wrote:
>
> So emacs basically works whereever you install it or extract it. I’m
> installing the 24.4 version which isn’t in yast yet. As a new linux user
> though, where would be a good place to put it in terms of convention or
> security? Thanks.
Follow the advice of deano, that’s far easier.
If you were to compile it yourself, though (you can not just download a
binary and install it where you wish, not in Linux), typically and by
default it would install on /usr/local/, but it is also possible to
build and install on home, sometimes.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)