[Python-3000] ~/.local [was: Reminder: last alphas next Wednesday 07-May-2008]

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

Bill Janssen replied to Christian Heimes as follows::

 > > I slightly prefer ~/.local/ over other suggestions
 > > but I'm also open to ~/.python.d/
 > 
 > Guido's point about it not being necessarily "local" is a good one.

Christian Heimes (I think) wrote:

> Windows and Mac OS X have dedicated directories for application specific
> libraries. That is ~/Library on Mac and Application Data on Windows.

You're both missing the point of what's wanted here, I suspect.  I
can't speak for others, but I do want "~/.local" and I agree with the
uses Glyph suggests for it.  I grant that "local" may not be a good
word for it in the context of a personal system in a corporate
environment, but here's how I think about it.

What it means (to me in the context of Unix-y system organization) is
"this is where I put stuff that I would be happy to have as part of
the system I was given (by some authority: my boss, Microsoft, or
Brett Cannon's stdlib PEP), but for some reason I'm not comfortable/
permitted to install it as system software."

It could physically reside on the moon (given a tachyon backbone
<wink>) and unlike Mac-ish ~/Library or "Application Data" on Windows
data *about me* or my use of the application *does not* go there.