[Bug 20888] New: Use XDG Base Directory Specification

http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20888

Summary: Use XDG Base Directory Specification
           Product: Wine
           Version: 1.1.33
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: Linux
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: -unknown
        AssignedTo: [e-mail]
        ReportedBy: [e-mail]

Hello,

The XDG Base Directory Specification [1]. Aims at solving two issues:

1) User's home directory is currently filled with hidden files.
2) Application settings, cache and data files are not separated.

Wine does not currently respect this standard.

- The "*.reg" files and "dosdevices" folder should be moved to
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/wine.
- drive_c should be moved to $XDG_DATA_HOME/wine

[1] http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-0.6.html

[Bug 20888] Use XDG Base Directory Specification

http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20888

[e-mail] changed:

What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|UNCONFIRMED                 |RESOLVED
         Resolution|                            |WONTFIX

--- Comment #1 from [e-mail]  2009-12-01 09:20:50 ---
After a discussion on IRC we reached the following conclusions:
- .reg files also contain user data (e.g. what applications are installed)
- .reg files and dosdevices cannot be separated from drive_c, all three forming
a "wine image"
- ~/.wine can be moved (if it's really in the way of the user) using
$WINEPREFIX

= Main problem =
Wine cannot move to XDG, because it runs legacy applications inside it, which
create a mess. Even if wine would use an XDG directory (say $XDG_DATA_HOME)
there would be no way to guarantee that the applications inside it would put
data / configs / cache in the proper place. Unlike typical applications, wine
does not fully control the content of its folder.

= Solution =
Wine already maps as many folders as it can to XDG folders (e.g. Desktop, Music
etc.) and if proper places are found for other folders inside wine, it will
continue mapping them to their right place.

Right now, the XDG standard does not support a folder for "virtual images",
which is most likely where wine should be.

[Bug 20888] Use XDG Base Directory Specification

http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20888

Vitaliy Margolen  changed:

What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|RESOLVED                    |CLOSED

--- Comment #2 from Vitaliy Margolen   2009-12-01 09:25:40 ---
Closing

[Bug 20888] Use XDG Base Directory Specification

http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20888

Alexandre Julliard  changed:

What    |Removed                     |Added
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                 CC|                            |[e-mail]

--- Comment #3 from Alexandre Julliard  2010-11-04 12:52:19 CDT ---
*** Bug 25018 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Bug 20888] Use XDG Base Directory Specification

http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20888

Eric Heintzmann  changed:

What    |Removed                     |Added
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                 CC|                            |[e-mail]

--- Comment #4 from Eric Heintzmann  2012-12-08 10:53:00 CST ---
What is planned now about FreeDesktop XDG basedir specification for Wine?

http://ploum.net/post/207-modify-your-application-to-use-xdg-folders
https://live.gnome.org/GnomeGoals/XDGConfigFolders
http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/latest/

[Bug 20888] Use XDG Base Directory Specification

http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20888

Jerome Leclanche  changed:

What    |Removed                     |Added
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           Keywords|                            |integration
                 CC|                            |[e-mail]

--- Comment #5 from Jerome Leclanche  2012-12-14 06:33:35 CST ---
(In reply to comment #4)
The wineprefix cannot be split up properly according to the spec due to wine's
own requirements.
If you want to follow the basedir spec, you should set WINEPREFIX by default to
be $XDG_DATA_HOME/wine/prefixes/default or $XDG_DATA_HOME/wineprefixes/default
(the latter is used by winetricks and some other apps although wine/prefixes is
more "correct" according to the spec)

[Bug 20888] Use XDG Base Directory Specification

http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20888

--- Comment #6 from Eric Heintzmann  2012-12-15 08:07:06 CST ---
(In reply to comment #5)

Why not setting WINEPREFIX by default to
be $XDG_DATA_HOME/wine/prefixes/default?

There are advantages of following XDG basedir specification :

- a lot less cluttered $HOME
- Make backups a lot more safer and easier. (you know that backuping your
$XDG_DATA_HOME along with your files is enough or excludind $XDG_CACHE_HOME)
- A lot easier to reset a default configuration if you want/need it (and
without any risk to loose informations). Even for the software itself could
choose to reset $XDG_CONFIG_HOME if needed.
- Avoid some strange bugs that happens because you had a old version of some
configuration file
- A lot more of flexibility and portability because no path are hardcoded.

[Bug 20888] Use XDG Base Directory Specification

[WineHQ Bugzilla]

https://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20888

Vladimir Porotnikov  changed:

What    |Removed                     |Added
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                 CC|                            |[e-mail]

--- Comment #7 from Vladimir Porotnikov  ---
It's been 11 years already.. Really?
I'm tired of trash in my home directory.
Thank you for respecting specs.