[LBo] Permanent /home partition

[Randy Kramer]

On Tuesday 06 June 2006 11:36 am, Stefan Waidele jun. wrote:
> Randy Kramer wrote:
> > [...]
> > I just wanted to jump on the bandwagon here and use it to make a further
> > point--I think Linux makes a mistake by combining the user's
> > configuration files and the user's data files in the same directory
> > (/home/user).
> >
> > I've tried to make this point to some people that I consider more
> > advanced/experienced users, but they (or at least one in particular)
> > disagreed.
>
> Did s*he state particular reasons? It would be interesting to know why.

It was a few months ago, and I should go back and look for his post, but no, 
iirc, he didn't give reasons but more what I'd call an "authoritarian" (and 
resounding) no.  I might take it up again with him someday.  (I did, in my 
post/proposal, express my reasons for preferring a different approach, and he 
didn't comment on those.)

> I think the status quo came to be because Unix is not designed and
> optimized to run in a multi-boot environment, where multiple vendors
> (=distros) mess with the configuration.
>
> Unix was designed to allow many people to work on one machine, even
> across the network (or have their homedirectory mounted across the
> netword from yet another machine, and I think this is where the current
> approach has its pros.

Unless you're alluding to something else, the approach I'd prefer would only 
require sharing two directories instead of one (for example: /data/<user> 
and /config/<user>).  There are a lot of applications and such that would 
have to be changed, but other changes have occurred.  (Was it this thread or 
some other that pointed out that /home used to be (in some sense) /usr?)

> And having most data place outside of /home, but linked from within the
> homedirectory solved most problems.
>
> So, while I don't think you idea is bad, I would really like to know why
> your "local guru" said no.

I don't have an answer, and probably won't ask him in the near future.  I 
pretty much decided to "work around him" (spread the idea elsewhere) (hoping 
that it takes root).

> When proposing a change of that magnitude, there is always the danger to
> prove the ancient chinese proverb: "Those who don't understand Unix are
> doomed to reinvent it, but poorly"
>
> I don't want to say that you and I don't understand Unix, but there
> might be an aspect that we have not thought about, yet :)

Good point, but I don't see a problem here.  Except for the (possibly long) 
transition, we end up with two directories to share instead of one.

I think you are more advanced in your understanding of *nix than I am, but in 
my six years of experience with it, I've found several things that seemed to 
be "the received wisdom" that have changed in those six years.

regards,
Randy Kramer

>
> Stefan
>
> --
> http://LinuxBasics.org
> http://Stefan.Waidele.info
> http://Krone-Neuenburg.de