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

[Randy Kramer]

Lennart,

Thanks for the further reply!

On Monday 23 May 2011 08:50:06 am you wrote:
---< much good stuff elided, some remains >---
> >    * 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?
>
> You never get to set XDG_RUNTIME_DIR on your own. That should be done
> by your OS.

Noted.

> But sure, you can set those env vars as you suggest otherwise.

Good!

> >    * 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?
>
> Sure, why not.

I'll modify bug 788 (the one on adding a reference to the XDG base 
directory spec to FHS /home) sometime in the next few days to add a 
reference to xdg-user-dirs.  (I take note of your comment 
below: "Consider it having the same relevance as xdg-basedir.")

> >    * What does XDG stand for?  (Has it changed since its
> > inception?)
>
> I think it stands for "XDG Desktop Group" now. Recursive and
> stuff. Consider it synomymous to fdo.

OK.  Because fdo stands for Free Desktop Org which is (according to 
Wikipedia) "a project to work on interoperability and shared base 
technology for free software desktop environments for the X Window 
System (X11) on Linux and other Unix-like operating systems.", I guess 
it would be fair to assume that the X stands for X Window.  

(from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FDO)

(And from other evidence, like the group was originally XDG standing for 
the X Desktop Group.)

> >    * 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, ...).
>
> Icons is app data, not user data. Hence xdg-user-dirs is not the
> right place for it.
>
> The fact that xdg-user-dirs is not specified in an XML docbook but in
> a wiki page has no influence on the validity of it. Consider it
> having the same relevance as xdg-basedir.

Noted--that is helpful.

regards,
Randy Kramer