GNU bug report logs - #583
Use XDG basedir spec for configuration files?

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: ferkiwi+a <at> gmail.com
Subject: bug#583: closed (Re: Use XDG basedir spec for configuration files?)
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2019 21:59:02 +0000

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Your bug report

#583: Use XDG basedir spec for configuration files?

which was filed against the emacs package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to 583 <at> debbugs.gnu.org.

-- 
583: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=583
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: ferkiwi+a <at> gmail.com
Cc: 583-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>,
 Jan Djärv <jan.h.d <at> swipnet.se>,
 Eric Heintzmann <Heintzmann.Eric <at> free.fr>
Subject: Re: Use XDG basedir spec for configuration files?
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2019 14:57:55 -0700

After discussion we added something along the suggested lines to Emacs master here:

https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/?id=4118297ae2fab4886b20d193ba511a229637aea3

so I am closing bug report number 583.

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From: Fernando <ferkiwi <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: Use XDG basedir spec for configuration files?
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:59:30 +0200

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The XDG Base Directory
Specification<http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/>provides
some common paths in user's home to store personal application
configurations, or, using their own words "*defines where these files should
be looked for by defining one or more base directories relative to which
files should be located*".

XDG Base Directory Specification allows efficient backup, in which you can
easily choose to backup your data and/or your configuration files for
instance. An application could easily propose such backup for the whole
system if all applications were matching these specification.

Therefore, although I think that this bug/enhancement is not vital, it would
be great for Emacs to be "FreeDesktop XDG Base Directory Specification"
compliant.

Currently Emacs is using "$HOME/.emacs.d/". This is what XDG basedir spec
defines:

   - $XDG_DATA_HOME (usually $HOME/.local/share/) as "*the base directory
   relative to which user specific data files should be stored*"
   - $XDG_CONFIG_HOME (usually $HOME/.config/) as "*the base directory
   relative to which user specific configuration files should be stored*"
   - $XDG_CACHE_HOME (usually $HOME/.cache/) as "*the base directory
   relative to which user specific non-essential data files should be stored
   *"

(http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html)

In order to make Emacs XDG basedir compliant, I think that it would be nice
to use:

   - $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/emacs  ;;for "init.el" and storing customize
   configuration


   - $XDG_DATA_HOME/emacs  ;;for sessions and backups


   - $XDG_CACHE_HOME/emacs  ;;for cache files

Or maybe some other distribution. What do you think about it?

There's a small C library that may be useful check it out, written for the
sole purpose of xdg basedir spec compliance:
https://n.ethz.ch/student/nevillm/download/libxdg-basedir/

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