🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Apr11.032459.1552@asw.com> jayson@asw.com (Jayson Adams)  
writes:
> I think this is exactly the problem Sam is talking about.  Why would  
> someone in expert mode want to see a bunch of %$&# dot files in their home  
> folder?  Sam has the right idea:  create the folder ~/Library/AppName and  
> place whatever crud your app needs to run in there.  A dot file in a  
> user's Library folder is at least better than a dot file in a home folder  
> (most people don't go to their Library folders very much, but they do go  
> to their home a hell of a lot).
> 
> Please, app writers:  no more dot files in home folders!  Thank you.

From the NeXT UI Guidelines:

Creating Unrequested Files and Folders


Applications sometimes need to create files and folders for a user, other than  
as the result of a Save command.


If the files are associated with a particular document, they should be grouped  
with that document and placed in a file package.


Otherwise, where the files are located and what they're named depends on  
whether the user needs to have direct access to them:


 	If the user never needs to get at the files or folders independently of  
using the application that creates them, they should be placed in the user's  
home folder but preceded by a dot prefix so they stay hidden from view.  If an  
application needs to create many such files, it should put them in its own  
folder, similar to the .NeXT folder.


 	If the user might sometimes need to get at the files or folders  
independently of the application that creates them (for example, template  
files), they should be placed in the user's home folder, but only after the  
user has been informed that they're being created.  If possible, the panel that  
conveys this information should give the user the opportunity to choose another  
name and location for the file or folder.


The guiding principle here is that the user's home folder belongs to the user.   
An application should not leave anything there that belongs to it, not to the  
user.  And when creating something that the user must live with, it should at  
least let the user know.
-- 
# Monty Solomon / PO Box 2486 / Framingham, MA  01701-0405
# monty%roscom@think.com