Soft link yields nvm is not compatible with the npm config "prefix" option error. (Linux)

[MaineTim]

• Operating system and version:
  Linux Mint 18.3
• nvm debug output:

nvm --version: v0.33.9
$SHELL: /bin/bash
$SHLVL: 1
$HOME: /home/tim
$NVM_DIR: '$HOME/.nvm'
$PATH: $HOME/.opam/4.05.0/bin:$HOME/bin:$HOME/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/opt/go/bin:/opt/flutter/bin:/opt/dart/bin
$PREFIX: ''
$NPM_CONFIG_PREFIX: ''
$NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR: ''
$NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR: ''
shell version: 'GNU bash, version 4.3.48(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)'
uname -a: 'Linux 4.10.0-38-generic #42~16.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Tue Oct 10 16:32:20 UTC 2017 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux'
OS version: Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia  
curl: /usr/bin/curl, curl 7.47.0 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu) libcurl/7.47.0 GnuTLS/3.4.10 zlib/1.2.8 libidn/1.32 librtmp/2.3
wget: /usr/bin/wget, GNU Wget 1.17.1 built on linux-gnu.
git: /usr/bin/git, git version 2.7.4
grep: /bin/grep (grep --color=auto), grep (GNU grep) 2.25
awk: /usr/bin/awk, GNU Awk 4.1.3, API: 1.1 (GNU MPFR 3.1.4, GNU MP 6.1.0)
sed: /bin/sed, sed (GNU sed) 4.2.2
cut: /usr/bin/cut, cut (GNU coreutils) 8.25
basename: /usr/bin/basename, basename (GNU coreutils) 8.25
rm: /bin/rm, rm (GNU coreutils) 8.25
mkdir: /bin/mkdir, mkdir (GNU coreutils) 8.25
xargs: /usr/bin/xargs, xargs (GNU findutils) 4.7.0-git
nvm current: none
which node: 
which iojs: 
which npm: 
npm config get prefix: The program 'npm' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing:
sudo apt install npm
You will have to enable the component called 'universe'
npm root -g: The program 'npm' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing:
sudo apt install npm
You will have to enable the component called 'universe'

• nvm ls output:

        v8.11.1
        v9.11.1
node -> stable (-> v9.11.1) (default)
stable -> 9.11 (-> v9.11.1) (default)
iojs -> N/A (default)
lts/* -> lts/carbon (-> v8.11.1)
lts/argon -> v4.9.1 (-> N/A)
lts/boron -> v6.14.1 (-> N/A)
lts/carbon -> v8.11.1

• How did you install nvm? (e.g. install script in readme, Homebrew):
  install script.

• What steps did you perform?

• What happened?
  Any new shell opened or attempt to set a noide version yields the error:

 nvm is not compatible with the npm config "prefix" option: currently set to "/data/opt/nvm/versions/node/v9.11.1"
Run `nvm use --delete-prefix v9.11.1 --silent` to unset it.

• What did you expect to happen?

• Is there anything in any of your profile files (.bashrc, .bash_profile, .zshrc, etc) that modifies the PATH?
  Yes.

• If you are having installation issues, or getting "N/A", what does curl -I --compressed -v https://nodejs.org/dist/ print out?

The issue appears to be that the .nvm directory in my home directory is a soft link to /data/opt/nvm/. If I change

export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"

to

export NVM_DIR="/data/opt/nvm"

in .bashrc, all is well. A relatively easy fix, but surprising that nvm doesn't seem to deal well with soft links. If there are some clear rules about this and I violated them, perhaps this will document it for others if they fall into the same trap.

Addendum: I see this is also documented here: http://octopusinvitro.tk/blog/code-and-tech/how-to-install-nvm-outside-user-directory/

Thanks!

[ljharb]

This is related to #617; and is more or less a duplicate of #1385.

[ljharb]

(Separately, I hope you're not using that location to share an nvm installation across multiple user accounts; each user account needs its own nvm installation and its own copies of node)