[kde-linux] my thought about kde 4.2

[James Richard Tyrer]

Randy Kramer wrote:
> On Friday 06 February 2009 05:05 am, Stefano Crocco wrote:
>> However, I don't think it neither strange nor annoying in the fact 
> that hidden 
>> files are "hidden" by default: it's the same default behaviour of, 
> say, ls 
>> and, in my opinion, the expected one, since they're called "hidden". 
> Moreover, 
>> often they only clutter the window. For example, with Show Hidden 
> Files turned 
>> off, my home directory contains 14 files and directories. If I turn 
> that 
>> option on, suddenly the window is filled with 149 between files and 
>> directories (according to what the status bar reports). This is all 
> right when 
>> I'm looking for a hidden file/directory, but it would be extremely 
> annoying 
>> most of the times, when I'm not interested in them.
> 
> Not directly on point to this post, but whenever this topic comes up I 
> like to put my $.02--imho, it would be nice if this aspect of Linux was 
> reconsidered and the concept of hidden files done away with, or at 
> least, create (at least) two user directory hierarchies, one for "real" 
> user data (i.e., containing my files, my music, ...) and another for 
> application configuration data (I mean at the personal level).
> 
> So, to try to make that clear(er), you'd have the /home/<user> 
> hierarchy, and something else, maybe either /data/<user> 
> or /config/<user>.  One would contain your data, one would contain your 
> personalized configurations.
> 
> For extra credit:
>    * maybe create both /data/<user> and /config/<user> do away 
> with /home/<user>
>    * create a third hierarchy (or reuse /home/<user> for "temporary" 
> data
> 
> I recognize that this cannot be done overnight, as the change is rather 
> far reaching--each application would have to be revised to seek its 
> configuration data in one place and its user data in another.  (And 
> then maybe put its temporary data in a third.)  During a 
> transition, /home/<user> could remain in place and work as today for 
> applications which weren't aware of the new hierarchies.
> 
What can be done overnight is to not keep your user files in $HOME.  Or 
if you keep them in various directories (e.g. Documents, Photos, Music, 
etc), don't put those directories in $HOM#, but create a directory (e.g. 
Files) for them so that you have your documents in: 
$HOME/Files/Documents.  You can them add this Files directory to your 
"Places" and you can leave the $HOME directory for all the junk that 
accumulates in it.

It would be nice if XDG and KDE supported this Files directory as the 
root directory for all of the user's files, but that isn't really 
necessary in TRUNK since there is support for these XDG directories:

	DOCUMENTS
	DOWNLOAD
	VIDEOS
	PICTURES
	MUSIC

which can be set in System Settings (formerly Control Center):

	About Me : Paths

although if you have them set as the XDG default user dirs, they should 
be set automatically.

{sorry that this feature didn't make it into 4.2}

and you can set $HOME/Files as the Home Folder in Dolphin and save File 
Management with that URL in Konqueror.

This should solve the problem, although it still requires that the user 
set it up.

-- 
JRT