Unhappy with xdg-user-dirs

[Mattias Andrée]

I would purpose xdg-user-dirs-update be removed.
Directories should not be automatically created,
especially not over and over again if you remove them;
it should not require research to remove a directory.

Additionally I propose xdg-user-dir should fail if the
a directory is not listed, rather than defaulting to
the home directory. Just because I don't want directories
created for me, it does not been that I want everything
in my home directory.

Finally I propose filename_encoding be removed from
user-dirs.conf. UTF-8 should always be used. Why would
you not use UTF-8? Using any other encoding may cause
inconsistency since most programs are hardcoded to only
use UTF-8. It's time to move on from legacy codings.


On Mon, 3 Aug 2015 01:22:55 +0200
"Thomas U. Grüttmüller" <sloyment at gmx.net> wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I am a Debian user, and found today that a program called
> “xdg-user-dirs” had created, without my approval, the
> following empty folders in my home directory:
> 
> * “Vorlagen”,
> * “Öffentlich”,
> * “Musik”,
> * “Bilder”, and
> * “Videos”.
> 
> These folders, and the following *already existing*
> folders
> 
> * “Desktop”,
> * “Downloads”, and
> * “Dokumente”
> 
> were also listed under “~/.config/user-dirs.dirs”. I
> don’t know when this has happened, maybe weeks or months
> ago, but today I’ve noticed it.
> 
> I am very unhappy with this situation, because I did not
> actively chose to install “xdg-user-dirs”. I don’t know
> why it was installed at all, as none of the packages I
> use depend on it. Of course, I’ve deinstalled the program
> and removed the created foldes and files, but there
> remains a bitter feeling that I cannot trust my computer
> anymore, if such things happen. As a user, I expect my
> computer to do what I tell him, and not to surprise me
> with things I never expected.
> 
> I think it would be good style if “xdg-user-dirs” could
> identify itself to the user and ask him for approval,
> e.g. with a dialog box like “xdg-user-dirs / The
> following folders will be crated: … [OK] [Cancel]”. I
> noticed the changes only by accident, maybe weeks after
> they were done, and I had to google to find out what
> program caused it.
> 
> The second thing I’m unhappy about is that there seems to
> be no documentation at all about “xdg-user-dirs”. What
> are these folders intended for? Do I need a folder
> “Öffentlich” because future programs will expect it? If
> so, what will these programs expect there? And what will
> they store there? What is the idea behind the folder
> “Musik”? I use “Downloads/Musik” for downloaded music and
> “Dokumente/Musik” for my own works.
> 
> The thing that makes me *very angry* is that
> “xdg-user-dirs” repurposes preexisting folders without
> notifying me. “Dokumente” is the folder where I store all
> the files I am personally involved with. For me, this
> folder has the highest importance, and no one has the
> right to touch this folder except me! Especially I don’t
> want programs to expect it to be the trash hole for
> arbitrary “documents” of all kind. If future programs
> need a “Dokumente” folder in order to work, that’s fine.
> But then, please let me rename my old “Dokumente” folder
> first.
> 
> Kind regards,
>   Thomas
> _______________________________________________
> xdg mailing list
> xdg at lists.freedesktop.org
> http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xdg

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 819 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
URL: <http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xdg/attachments/20150803/558203cb/attachment.sig>