Curious Sunday Morning Linux File System Question ??

[Mikkel L. Ellertson]

William Case wrote:
> Thanks Charles;
> 
 >> It would not be easy to move all the dot files into a config
>> directory. You would have to co-ordinate that across thousands of apps
>> and dozens of different Unixes. I think we can depend on $HOME being
>> available on most Unixes. Getting $HOME/config adopted would be a
>> major effort.
>>
> I thought it was mainly a traditional component.  As someone who has
> only come recently to digging into Operating Systems, I am continually
> amazed by how much is *not* brand new cutting edge, but rather is
> generations old, conservative and traditional.
> 
One thing to keep in mind is that a large percentage of the CLI
tools pre-date Linux. There are few CLI programs/script that are
Linux specific. Most of the ones that are, tend to be distribution
specific as well. (system-config-<something> in Fedora/Redhat,
drake<something> and <something>drake in Mandriva, etc.) This does
tend to make changing this a bit difficult. Add in all the
old-timers that are used to things being that way, and it can be
almost impossible. (I include myself in that group.)

>> I recommend against putting your own working documents into your home
>> directory. Instead make one or more sub-directories for them. I have
>> "business" for business related stuff, invoices and the like,
>> "projects" and "src", for source code. Each has sub-directories for
>> individual projects. I find it helps that when I'm working on a given
>> project I only see the files related to that project.
>>
> 
> Yes.  I do.  But as you say, I always seem to end up with a bunch of
> cruft in my home directory.
> 
It helps if you set the default directories for different programs
to specific sub-directories. Have Firefox put all downloads in
downloads, Thunderbird put saved attachments in attachments, all
documents in a Documents tree. I have a notes directory for short
notes. I added a bin directory to /etc/skel so all users get a bin
directory when they are created. Personal programs/scripts end up
there, and it is added automatically to the end of their path.

It is like anything else - you have to make an effort to organize
it, and you have to clean things up periodically. If you are a
packrat like me, you have to get in the habit of going through old
stuff, and cleaning house.

Mikkel
-- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!