[fhs-discuss] Split home directory for each user into two parts

Jan Hauke Rahm jhr at debian.org
Thu May 5 06:27:37 PDT 2011


On Thu, May 05, 2011 at 07:26:21AM -0400, Randy Kramer wrote:
> I think it would help lots of people (obviously, myself) if the ~ 
> directory for each user was split into two parts.  (This could be done 
> in a variety of ways, more below.)
> 
> The basic idea is to get rid of the hidden files.  One way or another, 
> the hidden (often configuration) files  and the non-hidden files (often 
> what I will call "real user data") files should be split into separate 
> directories so that, for the most part, there is no longer a need to 
> use hidden files.  (Still, hidden files may have uses--my objective 
> isn't to get rid of hidden files per se, but to split the ~ directory.)
> 
> Where ever the hidden files end up, they should become non-hidden files.
[ snipping out implementation ]
> Rationales:
> 
>    * make it easier for the user to backup (and restore, and manipulate) 
> just the data he wants
> 
>    * re the above, on an upgrade or installation of a new distro, the 
> user almost certainly wants to keep his "real user data", but may want 
> to let the new system write new configuration data.  Hence, he would 
> move his configuration data somewhere else so that he can selectively 
> restore any that he might want to later.  (Without trying to figure out 
> how to use commands selectively on hidden and non-hidden files.)
> 
>    * overall, although the intent is not to completely get rid of hidden 
> files, the intent is to make the need to know about and know how to 
> manipulate them much less important, which would be a benefit 
> especially for new users

Without having thought this through completely (and Mathew's obviously
right, something like this would need a huge amount of programs to
change), I'd like to add another use case:

  * make it possible for the user to have all config stuff in a VCS
without having to care about their data. Maintaining a .gitignore for
all non-config dirs and files is a PITA.

Hauke

-- 
 .''`.   Jan Hauke Rahm <jhr at debian.org>               www.jhr-online.de
: :'  :  Debian Developer                                 www.debian.org
`. `'`   Member of the Linux Foundation                    www.linux.com
  `-     Fellow of the Free Software Foundation Europe      www.fsfe.org
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 836 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
Url : http://lists.linux-foundation.org/pipermail/fhs-discuss/attachments/20110505/d4470c60/attachment-0001.pgp 


More information about the fhs-discuss mailing list