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

[Randy Kramer]

Tollef (and all),

Comment below.

On Thursday 05 May 2011 08:46:41 am Tollef Fog Heen wrote:
> | 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,
> If you want to push for this, something like the XDG Base Directory
> specification[1] seems like a better fit.

Thanks for reminding me of the XDG Base Directory specification.  I 
wonder if you (or someone) could answer a few questions about it.

<Some background, you can probably skip over>

I found that (somehow, probably with someone's help) on the order of six 
(or more, or less) years ago, but I was confused as to its purpose.  
When I read it, it sounded like it might be just what I was looking 
for.

But, then I found an application that claimed to use it.  In their use 
of it, they considered the icons the program used as being "user data" 
and stored them in $XDG_DATA_HOME (or somewhere similar).  Note that 
these were the icons used by the program, not icons that might have 
been designed by the user (in some paint or similar program).

So, I sort of decided for myself that the XDG Base Directory 
specification was somehow not what I was looking for.  Not finding much 
explanation of it, I guessed it was for programs written to use X and 
thus, from the point of view of the program, icons might have been 
considered user data.  (That seems far fetched even as I write it 
again.)

But, I decided that the XDG Base Directory specification was not what I 
was looking for (even though the wording would appear to specify what I 
would like to have).

</Some background, you can probably skip over>

<The questions>

So, what do the initials XDG signify?  Is the scope of that spec 
intended to cover all of *nix (or maybe even wider than that), or is it 
something somehow aimed at just GUI programs using X?

Hmm, maybe one question is enough for a start. ;-)

</The questions>

Thanks,
Randy Kramer