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Unix and Linux Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [xdg-user-dirs]

28 questions
34
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1 answer

How did the ~/.local/bin thing start? How widespread is it?

I find more and more tools that put executables into ~/.local/bin. I am old and for me ~/bin is the place in my $HOME for executables. Where did this crazy new fashion originate? Why are people doing this? How widespread is it? Is it formalized…
Thomas Koch
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15
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2 answers

Who is creating Documents/Video/Pictures/etc. in home directory

I had Ubuntu-14.04 installed in a minimum configuration, i.e. with no X Windows support. Later I added x-server packages for my card, and a lightweight WindowManager (I don't want KDE or GNOME), so I normally launch X with startx, however someone…
Mark
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3 answers

user-dirs.dirs reset at start-up

I wanted to have some of the sub-folders of my home directory (like Music, Downloads,Videos) on my hard-disk-raid instead of my SSD. Therefore I deleted those folders in my home directory, recreated them on the RAID and made symlinks pointing from…
Marcel
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8
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1 answer

What is the user equivalent of the global /opt directory?

I'm wondering if anybody has agreed on a user equivalent of the global /opt directory, for third-party packages that are distributed as a tarball to be unpacked as a single directory. Examples include Firefox Beta, Tor Browser, and innumerable…
Tobia
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7
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2 answers

How to create / delete $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR at login / logoff

Today I was surprised to ssh into my box running Arch Linux and find that /run/user/$(id -u) didn't exist. The XDG Base Directory Specification says: $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR defines the base directory relative to which user-specific non-essential runtime…
Tom Hale
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Is there a specification or defined purpose of XDG user directories from freedesktop.org?

Specifically I am asking about ~/Templates/, but any information about the other directories is appreciated. I understand how to use ~/Templates in the context of my graphical file manager, but I am looking for defined intent of its usage from…
kzh
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Where/How are the XDG_*_DIR user directory variables supposed to be set?

I'm referring to: https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html I have the following files in my .config directory: ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs: # ... XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/downloads" # ... there are only comments in…
anick
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4
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1 answer

How to use SELinux to reject applications' modifications to home directory?

I have grown to be annoyed by applications ignoring the XDG base directory specification. What's the best way to deny applications any changes to the home directory except in the specified directories .config, .cache and .local?
soc
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4
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1 answer

Why are folders in home directory (Documents, Pictures, etc) created only after the first graphical login?

I am learning Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7. After creating users as root, if I login as the new user using "su - username", there are no directories in the user's home directory . Once I login as the new user graphically, then these are created. Why…
Sunshine
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3
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In XDG Base Directory Specification what if $HOME is unset or empty

Personally I'd like to adhere to to XDG Base Directory Specification to make my utility more portable. However when doing so it requires me to re-implement for systems that do not have the XDG_ parameters implemented. This on it's own is not much of…
hakre
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3 answers

Why are the XDG variables for my account undefined when I login through SSH?

When logged in to the desktop: $ env | grep…
Zhro
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3
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xdg user dirs: not relocating although set?

I relocated my home directories using XDG user dirs as mentioned here: how to make gnome use my home folder as Desktop folder? However, this does not work for me so far. I have set the Downloads directory to /media/Schijf-2/Nico/"Mijn…
DutchArjo
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2
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$XDG_CACHE_HOME vs. $XDG_STATE_HOME

Based on the XDG Base Directory Spacifications, $XDG_STATE_HOME should store history and log of the programs. But it is very common to see UNIX programs storing these kind of stuff at $XDG_CACHE_HOME, that is, $HOME/.cache. Why?
Rubem Pacelli
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Where should I store my application files (data, cache, logs, crashes, etc.)

Although I did some research on this subject, I couldn't reach the exact information I wanted. Actually, not exactly disclosed, everyone approached in a different way. For the: Filesystem Hierarchy Standard I should store my files at: Temp files:…
Dentrax
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Is there a standard XDG location for user secrets?

XDG defines ~/.config, ~/.cache and other shell-agnostic locations for user configuration files. Some applications define their own locations for user secrets, like ~/.ssh and ~/.gpg. Is there an XDG-defined location for user secrets? For example,…
lofidevops
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