.log directory

[Dieter Plaetinck]

On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:30:12 -0500
Rodney Dawes <dobey.pwns at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, 2010-01-29 at 18:17 +0100, Wolfram Kleff wrote:
> > Request for Comments/Standards update suggestion:
> > 
> > I would like to suggest a ".log" directory in the $HOME directory
> > like the ".cache" directory.
> > The ".log" directory would be a good place for all the log, history
> > and recent files which litter the $HOME directory or fill up
> > unnoticed in some config subdirectorys.
> 
> > Suggestions welcome ;-)
> 
> Put them somewhere in $XDG_CACHE_HOME, because they are files that
> shouldn't hurt anything if removed.

i agree. The name 'cache' may not be the best choice, but the spec
describes that "non essential" data should go into the cache
directories.

> The cookie/socket files may break
> the operation of running programs on your system, so probably
> shouldn't go in CACHE_HOME, but not sure where they should go.

i don't think it's a design goal for all files in CACHE_HOME to be
removable while the app is running.
though you should be able to safely remove those without
data/functionality loss when the app is not running.
(in other words, "non-essential" should not be taken 100% strictly IMHO)
socket files and such are usually put in the cache directories AFAIK.

files in CACHE_HOME should of course be able to be removed for example
when the relevant app is not running, before a reboot, etc.
 
> Putting logs in CONFIG_HOME is bad, as logs aren't config.

agreed !

> It would be
> nice though, if there was an XDG_STATE_HOME, similar to var, where you
> could put state information, such as the cookies/sockets, 

a socket by itself is not related to the state of an application. some
apps might support querying state information (and other things) over
the socket but that's something different. sockets belong in cache
directories IMHO.

> and
> information currently being stored in configuration, which is actually
> state (window size/position, etc...).
> 

i agree that state should definitely be kept somewhere else then the
configuration specified by the user.  whether this means keeping a state
file in the config directory, or a separate state directory, I don't
really care.

We discussed this last year, but unfortunately the spec stayed the same.

http://www.mail-archive.com/xdg@lists.freedesktop.org/msg04873.html

Dieter