XPost: comp.os.linux.advocacy   
   From: brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com   
      
   On Jan 20, 2026 at 9:53:59 AM MST, "Chris Ahlstrom" wrote   
   <10kobv9$1bonr$2@dont-email.me>:   
      
   > Brock McNuggets wrote this post by blinking in Morse code:   
   >   
   >> On Jan 20, 2026 at 7:50:03 AM MST, "candycanearter07" wrote   
   >> :   
   >>   
   >>> Brock McNuggets  wrote at 06:06 this Sunday   
   (GMT):   
   >>>> On Jan 17, 2026 at 10:27:14 PM MST, "Gremlin" wrote   
   >>>> :   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> Brock McNuggets    
   >>>>> news:696c2034$1$20$882e4bbb@reader.netnews.com Sat, 17 Jan 2026 23:50:12   
   >>>>> GMT in comp.os.linux.advocacy, wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>> On Jan 17, 2026 at 3:47:39 PM MST, "Gremlin" wrote   
   >>>>>> :   
   >>> [snip]   
   >>>>>>>  MS was actively discouraging the use of .INI files   
   >>>>>>> from Windows 95. They wanted you using the centralized registry   
   >>>>>>> instead.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Yes... what a pain.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> It could be if you weren't very familiar with it.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> I prefer the INI or stand alone preferences system. Especially when they   
   are   
   >>>> stored in a logical location they make troubleshooting easier.   
   >>>   
   >>> I honestly never really got the registry. For system settings, fine, I can   
   >>> get wanting to use a binary format like that. For user options, it just   
   >>> makes it harder to access, change, backup, etc... and is inherently not   
   >>> cross-platform.   
   >>   
   >> Agreed.   
   >>   
   >>> The only benefit I can think of would be having   
   >>> persistent user settings, and that can easily be achieved by storing   
   >>> user settings in %AppData% and/or not deleting it with the built in   
   >>> uninstaller.   
   >>> [snip]   
   >>   
   >> I like how macOS does it... a Preferences folder with files. Apple has   
   changed   
   >> it a bit so it is cached which might help in some ways but makes   
   >> troubleshooting a bit harder. Not exactly sure how Linux does it.   
   >   
   > It can vary, but in general: sample config files reside in   
   > /usr/share/appname, the system-wide config file reside in   
   > /etc/appname, user-specific overrides of the configuration are in   
   > /home/username/.config/appname or are stored as "rc" or "conf"   
   > files whose names start with ".".   
   >   
   > User-specific/app-specific state files (settings) are in   
   > /home/user/.local/share/appname ... or somewhere thereabouts :-D.   
   >   
   > Arch Linux has slightly different conventions, a bit like   
   > FreeBSD's.   
   >   
   > It's a bit krufty from having been built up over the years, but   
   > one gets used to it, just as one gets used to Window's Registry   
   > and the locations for 32 vs 64-bit Registry entries.   
      
   I know I have looked at SOME of those over the years but always have to look   
   up where they all are. Not a weakness of Linux, just an artifact of my not   
   using it as much as I use macOS, and some level of macOS being more consistent   
   in that are. Preference files (.plist) are either in:   
      
   ~/Library/Preferences/   
      
   or   
      
   /Library/Preferences/   
      
   While rarely something I have worked with, they can also be:   
      
   /Library/Managed Preferences/   
      
   In more modern macOS versions the .plist files can be cached, which might make   
   things faster but also can complicate troubleshooting.   
      
   Thanks for your info.   
      
   Side note: Unlikely, but do you have a relative name Dale? If so you might   
   want to contact me offline... I am getting calls about him (maybe he had my   
   number sometime in the past?). Will not discuss publicly.   
      
   --   
   It's impossible for someone who is at war with themselves to be at peace with   
   you.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)