GNU bug report logs - #8221
24.0.50; Allowed names for the init file. Windows/POSIX inconsistence.

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Dani Moncayo <dmoncayo <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 24.0.50; Allowed names for the init file. Windows/POSIX inconsistence.
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:36:41 +0100

Severity: wishlist

Hello,

I've been reading the documented behavior of Emacs with respect to the
way it looks for the init file during startup.  This is explained in
the nodes "Init File" (for POSIX systems, I guess) and "Windows HOME" (for
MS Windows platforms).

According to the documentation (and the quick test I've done), we have this:
- On Windows systems, Emacs tries to find the init file by cheking (in
  several paths) for the existence of a file named `.emacs'.
- On POSIX systems, Emacs accepts the following alternatives as init
  file: `~/.emacs', `~/.emacs.el', or `~/.emacs.d/init.el'

So, the question is, why this inconsistence? i.e., why not accept on
Windows the same alternatives for the name of the init file as on
POSIX systems?

For example: Why not accept "<path>\.emacs.d\.init.el" as a valid init
file on Windows? (<path> being _any_ of the directories that Emacs
currently checks for the `.emacs' file)


-- 
Dani Moncayo

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