#493 Use XDG Base Specification for config files.

[J Beggs]

Configuration files should be stored under $XDG_CONFIG_HOME (which should default to ~/.config if not defined) https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html

For example:
~/.bochsrc => $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/bochs/bochsrc or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/bochs/config.conf
$XDG_DATA_HOME/bochs for things like hard disk images and so on, per user basis, if the bochsrc file doesn't specify a fully qualified path for a file.
Using $XDG_DATA_DIRS/bochs/plugins instead of a compile-time hard-coded location. BXSHARE could override if desired for some reason, as already happens.

A few of the advantages of using the XDG Base Directory Specification as follows:

• $HOME is a lot less cluttered.
• Backups are a lot more safer and easier. (You know that backing up your $XDG_DATA_HOME along with your files is enough)
• A lot easier to reset a default configuration if you want/need it (and without any risk of loosing information).
• Avoid some strange bugs that happen because you had a old version of some configuration file.
• It is a lot more flexible and portable because no paths are hard-coded. You can use the XDG library that does the job for you or, if you don’t want the dependency, implementing the XDG specification is only a few lines of code.

I may go ahead and add this, but I do not know how to submit patches other than on here, and it looks like they get mostly ignored and not included on svn.

[Oliver]

I agree and think this is a good idea.

You might address this on the mailinglist.

[J Beggs]

Ack, I forgot I had posted this. Was this not the mailinglist? I thought
it was intended to be?

On 2/10/22 09:23, Oliver wrote:

I agree and think this is a good idea.

You might address this on the mailinglist.

---

[feature-requests:#493]
https://sourceforge.net/p/bochs/feature-requests/493/ Use XDG Base
Specification for config files.

Status: open
Group: nice_to_have
Created: Sun Jun 09, 2019 05:22 AM UTC by J Beggs
Last Updated: Sun Jun 09, 2019 05:22 AM UTC
Owner: nobody

Configuration files should be stored under $XDG_CONFIG_HOME (which
should default to ~/.config if not defined)
https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html

For example:
~/.bochsrc => $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/bochs/bochsrc or
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/bochs/config.conf
$XDG_DATA_HOME/bochs for things like hard disk images and so on, per
user basis, if the bochsrc file doesn't specify a fully qualified path
for a file.
Using $XDG_DATA_DIRS/bochs/plugins instead of a compile-time
hard-coded location. BXSHARE could override if desired for some
reason, as already happens.

A few of the advantages of using the XDG Base Directory Specification
as follows:
/$HOME is a lot less cluttered.
/ Backups are a lot more safer and easier. (You know that backing up
your $XDG_DATA_HOME along with your files is enough)
/A lot easier to reset a default configuration if you want/need it
(and without any risk of loosing information).
/ Avoid some strange bugs that happen because you had a old version of
some configuration file.
* It is a lot more flexible and portable because no paths are
hard-coded. You can use the XDG library that does the job for you or,
if you don’t want the dependency, implementing the XDG specification
is only a few lines of code.

I may go ahead and add this, but I do not know how to submit patches
other than on here, and it looks like they get mostly ignored and not
included on svn.

---

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[Oliver]

Was this not the mailinglist? I thought
it was intended to be?

No, this is the bug report and feature request side.

You can subscribe to the mailinglist here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/bochs/lists/bochs-developers

BTW the GUI debugger also creates a file called bx_enh_dbg.ini in the ~/ home directory and thus also doesn't follow the XDG Base specification. I hope this will get fixed.