[kde-linux] upgrading to KDE 4.2.4

[Duncan]

Kevin Krammer posted on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:19:44 +0100 as excerpted:

> My guess on the .config vs. config is that $HOME is a likely location
> for files the user cares about directly, e.g. documents and that it
> makes therefore sense to put "indirect/internal" [2] data and config
> somewhere not as visible.

Yes.  My thought is that I like seeing the config dir... *IF* it's only 
ONE dir.  When all the config dirs and files were directly in $HOME, it 
made a huge difference if they were hidden and would have been incredibly 
confusing if they weren't.  But, if they can all be in a single config 
dir, I'd personally rather have it be the unhidden ~/config, not the 
hidden .config.  But I understand others thinking differently, and it's 
no big deal to symlink or even hardlink .config and config in the same 
dir.  Plus there's always the environmental variable, as mentioned.

>> Thanks.  That makes quite some sense, and would indeed solve the
>> problem.  Unfortunately, it'll be awhile before all those .* files/dirs
>> in my homedir are gone and data's no longer intermingled with config,
>> but it appears we're headed that way, at least.  Maybe in another half
>> decade or so...
> 
> Main problem is data migration/moving. As I wrote before I think it
> could be made the default for new user accounts.

Indeed.  Changing the location for new users (only) makes sense.  I'd 
suggest leaving well enough alone for existing users.  Some of us get a 
bit cranky when stuff's moved around under our feet without any warning! 
=:^(

The only issue then is that of support.  If it's always in the same spot, 
things are easier.  But with distributions doing their thing anyway, and 
environmental variables already available to change the location from the 
default, just one more reason among many that it could be other than the 
default location isn't a big deal at all.  (And no, don't even /think/ 
about removing the configurability to make support easier.  That's not 
the kde or FLOSS way so there's little chance, but just in case someone 
thought that's what I was saying...  The phrase "they'll pry my 
configurability from my cold dead hands" comes to mind! =:^)

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman