/etc and /usr/local/etc

[Stephen Allen]

As a relative FreeBSD newbie, I get confused between these two 
directories.  As I understand it, anything I install after the initial 
installation will user /usr/local/.  For example, I'm used to seeing 
/etc/samba/smb.conf but now have to go for /usr/local/etc/smb.conf.

How do other people deal with this?  Do you live with it because that's 
the way it is.  Do you change any parameters which make installed stuff 
write to /etc instead, or perhaps create symlinks in /etc to point to 
the real file in /usr/local/etc?

Many thanks,
Steve :)