Re: [PATCH] Add XDG_STATE_HOME
piegames <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.linux.xdg.devel |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
Thank you for your reply. I do not want to simply create more folders and a finer distinction between them. I want to add directories for types of files that don't fit really well in the existing structure (see my mail from June; there are quite a few, but history+logs are the most important to me, and they can be generalized to "state"). > […] but this does not explain why $XDG_DATA_HOME is unsuited for such files. Do you really think applications should store their log files in $XDG_DATA_HOME? Personally, I don't like this idea at all. Some other distinctions between data and state: - State data may not be portable. You wouldn't want it to sync across machines. - State data may be less important. A data loss here may be an annoyance, but nothing as catastrophic as losing config or user data. I reworded the relevant section of my patch to make it more clear what the XDG_STATE_FOLDER is about (re-formatted for the email; see the GitLab link for a full diff): ---- The `$XDG_STATE_HOME` contains state data that should persist between (application) restarts, but that is not important or portable enough to the user that it should be stored in `$XDG_DATA_HOME`. It may contain: - actions history (logs, history, recently used files, …) - current state of the application that can be reused on a restart (view, layout, open files, undo history, …) - connection sockets (ssh, tcp, …) to be reused ---- Regards, piegames On Mon, 2019-11-04 at 14:53 +0000, Bollinger, John C wrote: > I have recently been studying the basedir spec pretty carefully in > support of work on basedir-related software. I consider myself to be > pretty current, though I confess I did not review the XDG_STATE_HOME > patch request when it came through in August. Having now given it a > look, my knee-jerk reaction is "don't make more work for me!", but my > more considered reaction is to ask what exactly "state-related data" > is, and how it differs from all four base directory categories that > already exist. > > The patch speaks to this to some extent: "[It] fits right between > config and cache. It contains convenience data that should be > preserved between sessions of a program like logs, history, last > opened view etc.." I suppose that preservation between program > sessions is intended to imply preservation between login sessions, > too, so that $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is not appropriate, but this does not > explain why $XDG_DATA_HOME is unsuited for such files. > > Overall, my bias is toward avoiding proliferating base directories > for more and more nuanced categories of files. The whole point of > basedir is to centralize files in a small number of locations instead > of each program having its own, independent directory(-ies), and > creating new base directory categories works against that. > > If the concept of state-related data as a category warranting its own > base directory were accepted then I would have a few things to say > about the specific wording suggested, but let's not put the cart > before the horse. > > > Regards, > > John Bollinger > > > -----Original Message----- > From: xdg [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > piegames > Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2019 10:52 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [PATCH] Add XDG_STATE_HOME > > Caution: External Sender > > > Any opinions on this? I need some feedback to get it merged. > > The patch as merge request on Gitlab: < > https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgitlab.freedesktop.org%2Fxdg%2Fxdg-specs%2Fmerge_requests%2F4&data=01%7C01%7CJohn.Bollinger%40stjude.org%7C3a620a51ef1c4bd8fda108d75fadca0d%7C22340fa892264871b677d3b3e377af72%7C0&sdata=eD7772VsBSkCYGDVSDy0gR4GZVb7zRboMZZI4mFiwxM%3D&reserved=0> > > On Tue, 2019-08-20 at 00:48 +0200, piegames wrote: > > A few years ago, there was a discussion about an `XDG_STATE_HOME` > > folder. I also found a patch that adds `XDG_BIN_HOME` deep in the > > mailing list's archive (which, by the way, is still not merged > > @maintainer). > > > > I've made a patch similar to the one adding the `bin` directory > > based > > on the discussion mentioned above. > > > > Regard, > > piegames > > > > > > --- > > basedir/basedir-spec.xml | 18 ++++++++++++++++++ > > 1 file changed, 18 insertions(+) > > > > diff --git a/basedir/basedir-spec.xml b/basedir/basedir-spec.xml > > index > > 8e6fff6..951c493 100644 > > --- a/basedir/basedir-spec.xml > > +++ b/basedir/basedir-spec.xml > > @@ -66,6 +66,13 @@ > > environment variable > > <literal>$XDG_CONFIG_HOME</literal>. > > </para> > > </listitem> > > + <listitem> > > + <para> > > + There is a single base directory relative to which > > user- > > specific > > + state data should be written. This directory is > > defined > > by > > the > > + environment variable > > <literal>$XDG_STATE_HOME</literal>. > > + </para> > > + </listitem> > > <listitem> > > <para> > > There is a set of preference ordered base directories > > relative to @@ -121,6 +128,17 @@ > > <literal>$XDG_CONFIG_HOME</literal> is either not set or > > empty, > > a default equal to > > <literal>$HOME</literal>/.config should be used. > > </para> > > + <para> > > + <literal>$XDG_STATE_HOME</literal> defines the base > > directory > > relative to > > + which user-specific state files should be stored. If > > + <literal>$XDG_STATE_HOME</literal> is either not set or > > empty, > > a > > default equal to > > + <literal>$HOME</literal>/.local/state should be used. > > + </para> > > + <para> > > + The <literal>$XDG_STATE_HOME</literal> fits right between > > config > > and cache. It contains > > + convenience data that should be preserved between sessions > > of > > a > > program like logs, history, > > + last opened view etc. > > + </para> > > <para> > > <literal>$XDG_DATA_DIRS</literal> defines the preference- > > ordered set of > > base directories to search for data files in addition to the > > _______________________________________________ > xdg mailing list > [email protected] > https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flists.freedesktop.org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fxdg&data=01%7C01%7CJohn.Bollinger%40stjude.org%7C3a620a51ef1c4bd8fda108d75fadca0d%7C22340fa892264871b677d3b3e377af72%7C0&sdata=1HPgO1p73vbrjxYyL%2FMG7bSFBRjcTukj2ziaSCphuVY%3D&reserved=0 > > ________________________________ > > Email Disclaimer: www.stjude.org/emaildisclaimer > Consultation Disclaimer: www.stjude.org/consultationdisclaimer _______________________________________________ xdg mailing list [email protected] https://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xdg