On 3/17/06 22:00, "Entourage:mac Talk" <[email protected]> wrote:
> The problem -- at least as far as Apple's developer guidelines go -- is that > you've decided that only ~/Documents is "important." Apple's view is that > ~/Documents and ~/Library are *equally* important; both contain user-created > data, they just contain different *kinds* of user-created data. ~/Documents > is for files created directly by the user -- stuff the user is explicitly > aware of. ~/Library is for data created indirectly by the user -- stuff the > user knows is there, but didn't explicitly create/save. The reason for this > distinction is to keep the user's "personal area" (Documents) free of stuff > the user won't recognize; in other words, it's for stuff like the MUD > folder, so that the user doesn't delete it because they don't know what it > is ;-) That's not even slowed down by putting it in library It hides it, MAYBE, until a macworld article on "cleaning crap out of Library" shows up, that's what, once a quarter? "Microsoft User Data? Hell, I don't even know what that means" "Where'd my mail go?" Moving an obtusely named file to a different location doesn't make it any less obtuse or safe from deletion. Finally, What is the Entourage database? Is it a preference? No. Those are in, correctly, Library/Preferences Is it a settings file? No, again, those are in the correct location. Is it a support file that the application needs to run, but isn't directly used by the user? Well, no. It's not. It's not a font. It's not an icon file, it's not a sound, it's not a theme, a template, a glossary, a script, a service, a license, a cookies file, an SSL key file, an application data file, or any of the above. It is a database that exists for for user created information, such as emails, tasks, notes, and contacts. If Entourage was a text editor, and I had the *same information* in text files, there would be no argument at all. If we were talking about FileMaker Pro Databases, which are, other than name and flexibility of use, the same thing, there would be no argument at all. The database is a document. Period. You can make an argument for the script items, etc., as those are not part of the database. But the database is in fact a document. But I can tell you as well, the upside of this, is that for any single user, Office is one of the *simplest* programs to both install and completely uninstall. Delete files in less than a handful of locations, (application, preferences, MUD, the Microsoft CRL cache files, and fonts) and it's *gone*. Compare that to any other program of it's size. Uninstalling CS is a friggin' nightmare in comparison, and that's WITHOUT version cue. Adobe vomits those stupid font list files everywhere. Ease of removal is not a minor consideration. > Based on my experiences with users, I think this approach makes sense. But > my opinion is irrelevant here; if Microsoft were following Apple's > guidelines, the MUD folder would reside in ~/Library/Application Support. If > you don't think that makes sense, you should take it up with Apple at WWDC > in August ;-) I don't have time. I'm too busy getting APPLE to support APPLESCRIPT. -- "De oppresso liber" (To free the oppressed) US Army Special Forces -- To unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.letterrip.com/> old-archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.boingo.com/>
