[fhs-discuss] My Confusion between GLib: enum GUserDirectory and XDG Base Spec: $XDG_DATA_DIRS

[Randy Kramer]

(Still cc'ing the list.)

Lennart,

Thanks for your response!  That prompts some additional questions or 
comments:

   * So, if I want to separate what I call my real user data (which in 
terms of the definitions in GLib, would be the files that I'd put in 
the "members" of the GUserDirectory enum), from all the other garbage 
that ends up in $HOME, the way to do that would be to have all the 
directories like   G_USER_DIRECTORY_DESKTOP,  
G_USER_DIRECTORY_DOCUMENTS, ... in $HOME, and then set 
things like $XDG_CONFIG_HOME, $XDG_CACHE_HOME, $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR, and 
$XDG_DATA_HOME to locations not in $HOME?

   * At least partially at my instigation, it is intended (there is a 
bug filed) that FHS 3.0 will include a reference to the XDG Base 
Directory Specification in the /home section.  I'm not sure that is 
sufficient anymore.  I'm thinking that there should be some reference 
to the directories in the GUserDirectory enum.  What do you think?

   * What does XDG stand for?  (Has it changed since its inception?)

   * Comment--now I see from that GLib document on Miscellaneous Utility 
Functions that it really is the intention that things like icons 
customized for a particular user really are intended to go in 
$XDG_DATA_HOME.  (Somehow, looking at the XDG Base Directory 
Specification, and not being aware of the GLib: Miscellaneous Utility 
Functions document nor the wiki document on Software/xdg-user-dirs, I 
expected that my "real user" data would go in  $XDG_DATA_HOME (I mean 
things like documents, photos, ...).

Randy Kramer

On Sunday 22 May 2011 05:50:46 pm you wrote:
> On Sun, 22.05.11 17:01, Randy Kramer (rhkramer at gmail.com) wrote:
> > (I suppose someone will ask me to take this off list, or to some
> > other list--I'm hoping this will be one quick question and
> > answer--if not, if others feel continued discussion should be off
> > list, we can do that.
> >
> > This was prompted by seeing Lennart's name on a recent post (Re:
> > [fhs-discuss] user-specific directories in /run) and recognizing
> > his name as one of the authors of the XDG Base Spec.)
> >
> > Trying to make the question as short as possible (but hopefully not
> > too cryptic):
> >
> > Is it the intent of the XDG Base Spec that the directories defined
> > in GLib's enum GUserDirectory should go in XDG Base Spec's
> > $XDG_DATA_DIRS?
>
> No. They should go in $HOME.
>
> > Sorry, I guess I'll ask two followups:
> >
> > If so, is that stated in the XDG Base Spec somewhere?  (I don't
> > quite see it.)  Should it be?
>
> http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/xdg-user-dirs
>
> > If not, where is it intended (by whoever) that those directories
> > reside?
>
> $HOME.
>
> Lennart