A draft for a standard for desktop configuration

[Waldo Bastian]

On Tuesday 13 September 2005 00:32, Dave Cridland wrote:
> > Please use $XDG_DATA_DIRS/configuration as defined by
> > http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-0.6.html#refer
> >encing instead of hardcoding /usr/share/configuration
>
> If schemas are local, then a remote configuration server cannot
> provide defaults sourced from them.

That's somewhat fundamental problem with a remote configuration server. How is 
it going to know about applications that you install locally?

> Personally, I feel that sane defaults should be either generated by
> the application itself in the absence of data (in which case, they're
> only documentation in the schema)

Yes, I think that is the right approach. Especially since quite a few defaults 
are being calculated by applications from other available data. Let's call 
that smart defaults.

> or handled by stacking (which complicates application installation).

[Snip]

> > Comments for section 6.5:
> >
> > It should be possible to change multiple values in a single atomic
> > (logically speaking) operation. Something like SetValues(STRING
> > root, DICT data) mirroring the GetValues call from 6.4.
>
> I'd also add an optional timestamp value of the last known change,
> and if supplied, and "incorrect", reject the store. It's cheap
> atomicity, and basically gives you transactions without having to
> actually have transactions. Both ACAP and IMAP's CONDSTORE extension
> do this, it's a neat design.

Yes, that would be very helpful indeed.

Cheers,
Waldo
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