Re: Policy Suggestion - User Configuration Files

[Vardhan Varma <vardhan@cadence.com>]

Hello .. i'm not in this ML, but got the smell of this thread
it from newsletter and couldn't resists to pitch in with my
 way of cleaning the home.


Here is what I to get rid of various junk in my $HOME:

1. Have a directory ~/... ( just like ~/.etc, however
   '...' looks really good in ls -al listing )

2. for all the program which insist on dumping things
  in $HOME, have a script/alias :
  alias netscape='env HOME=$HOME/... netscape \!:*'

3. First thing in my cshrc,
   set HOME=/hm/$USER

4. set explicit paths /hm/$USER/Mail etc. in the config
   of various programs.

This scheme works with a good range of programs.
Only if a program invokes csh with '-f' will this scheme
create mess.


I also tried with HOME *always* set to /home/$USER/...
in sh i can write cd to go to $HOME/.. instead of $HOME
if invoked with no arguments. This will certainly cause
problems with grphical file managers .. i don't use them.


Okay: the point is $HOME cleaning _can_ be done at a
end user level. Although explicit variable will be a
nice idea.. but even _other_unices_ don't follow something
like this can be done.

Q: In general , is '~' expanded to $HOME
or home directory from getent() .. by emacs,vim,*sh* ?



--Regrads
--Vardhan

PS: I'm also playing with keeping ~/... under CVS.
and having host specific directories for some programs.
problem is i _have_ to use tcsh and without functions
life is tough.

PPS: sorry for breaking threading .. i had no way of replying
to original.


-----Original Message-----
From:  Ola Lundqvist [mailto:opal@debian.org]
Sent:  Wed 1/8/2003 2:33 PM
To:    Vardhan Varma
Cc:    
Subject:       Re: Policy Suggestion - User Configuration Files
Hi

If I'm not mistaken you can send messages to the mailinglist
without beeing subscribed. Just tell that people should Cc: you
if they reply.

But before you file it you should really clarify what you
mean because I did not understand it fully.

Regards,

// Ola

On Wed, Jan 08, 2003 at 10:58:31AM +0530, Vardhan Varma wrote:
>
>
> can't post to debian-policy since not subcribed to it ...
> if you find my idea worthy, plese forward it to debian-policy
>
>
>
> My solution has been to 'env HOME=$HOME/... Command' for
> all the _dirty_ programs.
>
> I also need at HOME=/home/$USERNAME in .profile, which has to
> be in ~ as well as ~/... ( just in case some of these program
> invoke shell'
>
> I use '...' since it _looks_good_ with '.' and '..'
>
>
> Thankfully ZSH honours ZSHDOTDIR .. but no other program..
>
>
> --Vardhan