The non-packaged folders are to install things by hand. So people can install old beos apps they have no hpkg available. You does not need to use it if you build a hpkg package.
The non packaged folder are included because many members of haiku asl to install things by hand in the past at beginning with the package management system.
The home/non-packaged folder is for the user and the system/non-packaged for the admin.
**i miss a package folder in home for user installing software
The non-packaged folders have a higher priority so things installed here are user by the system first, so you can not destroy the system testing things.
And iirc the home/non-packaged have a higher priority like the system one by the same idea for protecting the system.
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Ok, that sounds like a error in wonderbrush, there the software looking for fonts.
My memory doesn’t stretch that far into the past… 
But I find it strange to have fonts under “settings”. Were all apps supposed to look there as well? What’s the advantage compared to using ~/config/data/fonts (which under Haiku would be ~/config/non-packaged/data/fonts for unpackaged fonts)?
Do you really think it’s very complex?
It’s literally just copy&pasting the script and the .PackageInfo and adjusting the $sourceDir variable (and some text if you don’t like that Humdinger fellow packaging your fonts… )
Anyhoo, if the fixed WonderBrush is released there’s no real need for having a HPKG anyway. Then everyone can just use the non-packaged/data/fonts folders and zip it up if needed.
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It is not so easy to do a link for the application menu, if one does not know how to do it right. But for installing system files you are right.
[quote=“humdinger, post:23, topic:3811”]
But I find it strange to have fonts under “settings”. Were all apps supposed to look there as well?[/quote]
Yes–all BeOS/ZetaOS apps looked at both areas (at least for fonts and other settings). It had advantages and disadvantages as you infer. The advantages is what @lelldorin explained how I could create and test my new font ‘locally’ in the home directory versus installing (i.e. moving from home to system) the final product into the system fonts directory later. But that was then–now I have to deal with Haiku new methods of doing things.
Do you really think it’s very complex? Yes–I do, since I do not understand the entire HPKG process. But that will change soon enough. 
I use Haiku daily now…using, testing, creating, and basically pushing it every day. I have a few bug reports/feature requests to create…working on those soon.
Thank for the information!! Still learning as I go…
It is not so much complicated as it feeling first. Hpkg files are virtual, the system hanging it in at startup (like mountig a hdd but write protected). So you need to use the package management system to install programs. A good side effect is that we have all one standard, this make supporting easy. You can not destroy your installed application and nothing can write bad data to your files included the hpkg. They are many good things using the package management system. Work with it, testing it and you will love it too.
HPKG may not be that hard, still it is not something a non-technical user should have to deal with.
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I meant using that script from a strictly problem-solved perspective. For that, you wouldn’t need to understand the underlying package-creating process.
But I see that you want to understand things on a deeper level. I approve.
Experimenting and learning is what I see as two of Haiku’s main attractions.
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