Re: Hidden files
On Wed, Jun 07, 2006 at 10:45:28AM +0200, Adam Borowski wrote:
> This argument is valid only for configuration. There are more
> reasons to have files which are not displayed unless you ask for
> them. For example:
> * .svn
> Storing this metadata somewhere else would mean you have to
> explicitely purge it every time you do something as basic as
> deleting a dir. Also, you are no longer free to move things around
> by hand, can't move them to another machine without some kind of
> export/import, and so on, so on.
> * .xvpics
> It takes a long time to show the thumbnails, so caching them is not
> a bad idea. However, if this cache was placed anywhere else than
> the dir which contains the images, thumbnails would accumulate
> indefinitely -- with .xvpics, deleting the directory removes the
> relevant cache without any extra effort.
These two are examples of files that can occur everywhere, rather than
in $HOME. While caching purposes and/or metadata are certainly valid
reasons to hide files away, I don't think that storing configuration is
just as valid.
Moreover, your problem about removing cache with a directory can be
easily worked around by using some cache expiry algorithm.
--
Fun will now commence
-- Seven Of Nine, "Ashes to Ashes", stardate 53679.4
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