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

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From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
Cc: ferkiwi <at> gmail.com, 583 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#583: Use XDG basedir spec for configuration files?
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2019 11:11:45 -0700

Glenn Morris wrote:
> It's great to finally see some progress in this area, but IIUC this is
> still not really following the XDG spec. For example, I think a proper
> solution would see user elpa packages stored undo XDG_DATA_HOME, etc.
> I think the OP points this out.
> It looks like what we have at the moment is basically
> ~/.emacs.d/ -> ~/.config/emacs/?

Yes, that's what Emacs basically has in master now. I don't see where Fernando 
mentioned ELPA, though. And it's not clear that an ELPA package's files should 
be considered "user specific data files" (XDG_DATA_HOME) as opposed to "user 
specific configuration files" (XDG_CONFIG_HOME).

Looking at my own home directory for what other XDG-ish programs do, I see data 
files under ~/.local/share (XDG_DATA_FILES default): things like 
xorg/Xorg.0.log, gnome-shell/application_state, gvfs-metadata/home, and 
evolution/addressbook/system/contacts.db. Programs (if any) are few and far 
between. (Not that I use many plugins in any programs, so perhaps I'm not the 
best person to check this.)

For what it's worth, I found an old directory named '~/.gimp-2.8' and a newer 
one named '~/.config/GIMP/2.10' with similar structure. It appears that when 
GIMP made the transition to XDG style in GIMP version 2.9.2, it did what Emacs 
just did in master now: that is, GIMP moved all its stuff into ~/config/GIMP. 
Although I don't use GIMP plug-ins, the GIMP plug-ins directory moved too.

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