Re: Location for user installed plugin libraries and icons
On Thu, May 06, 2021 at 01:16:13PM +1000, Jon Gough wrote:a
(Please refrain from top-posting)
> Hi,
> Thanks for the info, I thought this may be the case. Using that it is
> easy to install and uninstall plugins from the main program. The uninstall
> can be just the plugin resources or the plugin resources and configuration
> items as well and we can ask the user what level of uninstall they intend.
>
> One thought though, what happens if the main application, the 'deb', is
> uninstalled? Should the plugin resources be left or uninstalled, what about
> the configurations?
(I assume you talk about the user-installed plugins/resources)
Debs must not touch files in $HOME; your only choice is to leave them alone.
> Once the main app has been uninstalled there is no way
> for the user to easily uninstall/remove left over stuff. As far as I can see
> most users only know about Downloads, Documents, etc., but nothing about
> directories that contain '.' as the leading character (most desktops hide
> these directories).
Well, except if those are of significant size (and then it is probably more
than configuration and plugins)*, this shouldn't be a problem at all, is it?
Are there other problems you think you could sovle with that execpt extra files?
The program could document where the resources are saved.
(I'm wondering why you think that is a problem in the first place; the usage
of .local .config is so widespread and quite well established. Even a Unix
beginner will very likely learn about them early.
As another data point: Windows has also hidden AppData directory used
for local app data; whose use case is AFAIK the same as you are describing.)
A practical aspect:
You do not delete user data/configuration files without asking them. They might
be very sad afterwards. And you cant really ask them when removing or purging the deb,
especially on a machine used by multiple users.)
(* If big, it is probably a better option to package the plugins as well, so that
not every user has to have its own copy of the big resources.)
--
tobi
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