XDG_CONFIG_DIRS an /usr/local/etc/xdg

[Peter White]

On Thu, Sep 16, 2021 at 01:21:15PM -0400, Elsie Hupp wrote:
> >>> I have pondered this for a while now and could also not find
> >>> anything via search engine or on this list, so I figured I actually
> >>> ask the ones who wrote the spec.
> >> 
> >> I did not write the spec, but I have implemented it. I'm uncertain
> >> whether those who did write it hang around here.
> > 
> > I was hoping they would be, or is there a better way of contacting them?
> 
> The authors all have individual email addresses at the top of the specification:

I did notice that, but why ask them privately? Mailing lists are there
so a question can be answered *once*, and the record stays online for
others to find. I did my due diligence before asking here by searching
the archive. But I seem to be first one to ask. From now on others can
at least find that it has been asked and maybe won't have to bother the
authors again.

> >> Anyway, your questions seem to fall more in the general system
> >> administration area than in the area of the spec itself.
> > 
> > I respectfully disagree, since it is a question about what should or
> > maybe should *not* happen at compile time or at runtime, respectively. I
> > am asking for a general way to make the software redistributable but
> > still installable locally, like virtually every software project makes
> > possible. The admin/user *should* have nothing more to do than making
> > sure that PATH is set correctly to have /usr/local take precedence, but
> > that is already taken care of in virtually every distro.
> 
> It may be worthwhile to add more guidance about “best practices” to
> the text of the specification, even without any changes to the
> underlying implementations.

That is one outcome I would welcome. I am still not ruling out that my
thought process is off by missing what XDG_CONFIG_DIRS is intended to be
used for. Currently, I am leaning towards: don't use it at runtime,
check it at compile time prepend PREFIX and configure the software to
hardcode that value.


Best,
PW