Re: Re: Re: startup file names (was: Ignore_Beep doesn't...)

[Michele Dondi <bik.mido@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

NOTE: my mail was directed to you privately, not to the JED Users List.
[and I don't think it's a good idea to mail replies to THIS message to the 
JED mailing list]

At 10.55 05/04/02 +0200, you wrote:
> On Thu, 04 Apr 2002 09:30:34 +0200 wrote Michele Dondi 
> <bik.mido@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>
> > [OT] I've been using linux for a few years now at a cluster we have in our

it's [OT] because I was not speaking strictly about jed...

> > VERY HUMBLE opinion: I've always had an unsatisfactory feeling about
> > configuration files in one's home directory.
>
> Don't you like hidden files, don't you like automatically created files
> or don't you like that many files in your home?

The last one!

> > me an idea of confusion, I'd be much more satisfied with an ~/etc
> > solution... unluckily even if my ideas would be sharable, I guess it's far
> > too late to change things... :-)
>
> No, it isn't. (Things will only change, if we can convince John.)

[...]

> Currently, if one cannot (or don't want to) touch JED_ROOT, he/she has to
> set the JED_HOME environment variable to point to the directory containing
> .jedrc and optionally put ()=evalfile("full/path/to/home-lib.sl") in .jedrc.
>
> I.e. right now, you can already have your jed configuration in ~/etc.
> Just set JED_HOME to ~/etc and put .jedrc there.

OK, I'm aware of this, but this would affect only JED. I was talking about 
the tons of programs that automatically create their configuration 
files/directories in one's home. The scheme you describe is fine, but then 
for any, say, program_x, one should have a program_x_HOME to set 
accordingly, and then one would probably even more environment variables 
than already has[*].

When I said that it's too late to change things, I referred to the fact 
that IMO one can't even think of such a change in policy for programs that 
have been around for years and even decades... Also, where should these 
additional environment variables be set? At least one of the shell's 
configuration files should stay in one's home...

In any case thank you for your extensive answer (of course I've read also 
the details that I snipped here).


[*] And/or only one more: it would suffice to have them search a variable 
for the default directory to put personal config files. Such variable could 
default to ~, but could also be set to ~/whatever (or "whatever", not 
necessarily  in ~, if permitted). The "and" option refers to the 
possibility for this setting to be overcome by program_x_HOME (referring to 
above example).


PS: BTW, does anybody know what "rc" stands for?!? (feeling ignorant, asked 
around, got no answer).


Michele

--
Liberta' va cercando, ch'e' si' cara,
Come sa chi per lei vita rifiuta.
           [Dante Alighieri, Purg. I, 71-72]

I am my own country - United States Confederate of Me!
           [Pennywise, "My own country"]


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