Finding where to store application data portably

[en.karpachov at ospaz.ru]

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:23:56 +1000
Steven D'Aprano wrote:

> I wish the Linux Standard Base folks would specify that settings files
> should all go into a subdirectory like ~/settings rather than filling up
> the home directory with cruft. That was acceptable in the days when people
> only looked at their files with ls, but in these days of GUI file
> managers, it is ridiculous that there are more than 100 dot files and
> directories in my home directory.

So it is the very rationale why dot-files historically considered as
"hidden" in all unix shells and filemanagers.
 
> <tilting at windmills>
> 
> Can I ask developers to break with the obsolete and annoying habit of
> creating user-specific config files as ~/.app-name and use
> ~/settings/app-name instead?
> 
> </tilting at windmills>

There is an other way around: look at your home dir as if it is your
"settings" dir and don't clutter it with files other than application
config dot-files.  Just make ~/files/, ~/bin/ ~/lib/ etc. for it.

-- 
jk