Linux packaging system and file hierarchy

[Randy Kramer]

On Wednesday 12 November 2008 06:28 am, Eugene Gorodinsky wrote:
> I've been toying with the idea of a packaging system which would allow 
for
> file hierarchy independence. ... While this hierarchy may be good for 
a
> server environment, is far too complex for a  desktop linux 
environment, as
> it isn't very intuitive. 

This comment may not be exactly on point, but your post gives me an 
opportunity to mention my desires for the FHS again, especially on a 
desktop system, with perhaps a few refinements since last time.

I dislike having so many types of data dumped into ~, and would like to 
see separate hierarchies for stuff like the following:

   * user's configurations--I guess that would be $XDG_CONFIG_HOME and 
$XDG_CONFIG_DIRS
   * user's "real" data (that is files containing things like user's 
documents, photos, music, ..., but not things like user defined or 
selected icons, backgrounds, ...)--$XDG_DATA_HOME and $XDG_DATA_DIRS
   * user temp data--I guess maybe $XDG_CACHE_HOME
   * I think a fourth hierarchy is required for stuff that is not "real" 
user data--e.g., if for some reason an application has personalized 
icons, background images, or something similar, they do not go in 
$XDG_DATA_HOME but instead here

Further, I don't want this to be just a hierarchy for X based (graphics) 
applications, but also for basic CLI based Linux applications.

Applications (X-based and CLI based) should default to accessing and 
storing data in the appropriate of these hierarchies.

Randy Kramer
-- 
I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I created a video 
instead.--with apologies to Cicero, et.al.