Jonathan (and all), I'm not a "developer" (if that's the right word) of the FHS, but an interested user. I'm not (at least initially) going to comment on the overall thrust of your proposal, but instead, I would like to say:
If a change of this magnitude is contemplated, then please consider my pet peeve about the Linux filesystem hierarchy--that is the /home directory and the conglomeration of all user data within that directory, via the kludge of making some files hidden. I would like to see /home separated into at least 3 directories. The "names" below are obviously placeholders--actual names can be debated at some point in the future): * /<real_user_data>: Files containing documents written by or used by the user, likewise for videos, music, graphics, program source code, ...--real user data that the user views, modifies, creates and needs to be backed up and would be transferred to a new system if the user migrated to a new system. * /<user_config_files>: Files containing configuration data for various applications. It is typically backed up, but when the user migrates to a new system, this data might or might not be migrated to the new system. (Just as a bad example, if the user migrates from a GNOME system to a KDE system, there is little use for those configuration files. As a better example, when migrating from KDE 4.1 to some later version, the user might want to not activate his old configuration files until he sees how the new system works in its "native" (i.e., without the old tweaked configuration settings). Later, he may want to import some or all of those old configuration files / settings. * /<user_temp_and_transient_files>--I won't think of all the types of files I'd put here, but it would include all files that might otherwise go in /tmp or /var but but should not (in a multiuser system) for security reasons. Includes any type of file that can be reconstructed from other data in the system--for example, indexes related to databases or just files, ... * /<user_binaries>--A potential 4th hierarchy, containing binaries written by or used (only) by, or customized for one particular user. Then, each user would have three (or four) hierarchies available for his use: * /<real_user_data>/<username> * /<user_config_files>/<username> * /<user_temp_and_transient_files>/<username> * /<user_binaries>/<username> Along with this, the use of hidden files for most purposes should be strongly deprecated. Maybe the name /home could be used for one of those hierarchies, but I almost think coming up with four new names would be cleaner in the long term. Obviously, there would be growing pains. I think we should plan for long term cleanliness of the LInux filesystem. I, for one, would not want to be resurrected (not that that can happen) in the year 2500 and still find that conglomeration of junk in the /home directory. Randy Kramer BTW: To Jonathan: I recognize that this takes things in a direction opposite to your (apparent) desire to reduce the number of directories. On Wednesday 15 February 2012 12:54:33 am Jonathan Vasquez wrote: > I didn't want to introduce ideas that would delay FHS 3.0, so this is > mean't for FHS 3.1+. _______________________________________________ fhs-discuss mailing list [email protected] https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/fhs-discuss
