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* dot-files
@ 2007-09-07 11:04 Robert J. Chassell
  2007-09-07 12:23 ` dot-files Ted Zlatanov
  2007-09-07 13:12 ` dot-files Stefan Monnier
  0 siblings, 2 replies; 3+ messages in thread
From: Robert J. Chassell @ 2007-09-07 11:04 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: emacs-devel

Calling dot-files `hidden' is misleading.  They are used for
configuration.  I like seeing them.  That is why I use the default
value of dired-listing-switches "-al".  As David Kastrup says,
dot-files `are supposed to be auxiliary data, not content'.

(I know there is an tradition to call dot-files hidden; but I think it
is and always has been a mistake.)  

I have many more dot-files dot-files in my home directory than I
expected, 922 according to dired running ~/.* .  That number includes
backups for files such as ~/.bashrc and files such as ~/.xinitrc-test
along with its backups.

-- 
    Robert J. Chassell                          GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8
    bob@rattlesnake.com                         bob@gnu.org
    http://www.rattlesnake.com                  http://www.teak.cc

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 3+ messages in thread

* Re: dot-files
  2007-09-07 11:04 dot-files Robert J. Chassell
@ 2007-09-07 12:23 ` Ted Zlatanov
  2007-09-07 13:12 ` dot-files Stefan Monnier
  1 sibling, 0 replies; 3+ messages in thread
From: Ted Zlatanov @ 2007-09-07 12:23 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: emacs-devel

On Fri, 7 Sep 2007 11:04:12 +0000 (UTC) "Robert J. Chassell" <bob@rattlesnake.com> wrote: 

RJC> Calling dot-files `hidden' is misleading.  They are used for
RJC> configuration.

By convention they are hidden from visual display by default on
Unix-like systems, and don't match '*' shell patterns (AKA "match
everything").  Why is it misleading to state this fact?  Whether they
are used for configuration is the software package's decision and it is
also a convention to use them that way.

Emacs generally uses just a few dot-files in a well-known location for
configuration, so my discussion was about the surprise to current Emacs
users.

Ted

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 3+ messages in thread

* Re: dot-files
  2007-09-07 11:04 dot-files Robert J. Chassell
  2007-09-07 12:23 ` dot-files Ted Zlatanov
@ 2007-09-07 13:12 ` Stefan Monnier
  1 sibling, 0 replies; 3+ messages in thread
From: Stefan Monnier @ 2007-09-07 13:12 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: bob; +Cc: emacs-devel

> Calling dot-files `hidden' is misleading.

That's a possible interpretation, but I think it's not relevant to the
problem at hand anyway.  Let's not get dragged into such
a fruitless discussion.

> They are used for configuration.  I like seeing them.  That is why I use
> the default value of dired-listing-switches "-al".  As David Kastrup says,
> dot-files `are supposed to be auxiliary data, not content'.

Agreed.  dot-files are used for meta-data.  And .emacs-settings very much
qualifies as meta-data.


        Stefan

^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 3+ messages in thread

end of thread, other threads:[~2007-09-07 13:12 UTC | newest]

Thread overview: 3+ messages (download: mbox.gz follow: Atom feed
-- links below jump to the message on this page --
2007-09-07 11:04 dot-files Robert J. Chassell
2007-09-07 12:23 ` dot-files Ted Zlatanov
2007-09-07 13:12 ` dot-files Stefan Monnier

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