On Fri 30 Nov 2018 at 21:21:50 (-0500), Ric Moore wrote: > On 11/30/18 8:45 PM, rhkra...@gmail.com wrote: > > On Friday, November 30, 2018 08:32:23 PM Ric Moore wrote: > > > Cindy, I advocate using /opt for that very reason. I leave /home/user > > > alone. I create /opt/user directory and fill it with the usual > > > /home/user directories, such as Documents, Downloads, Music, Videos and > > > the like. Those directories contain ther actual files and are safe if > > > root partition gets clobbered or the OS becomes too wonky from > > > installing all the things. CLEAN re-install also cleans screwed up > > > config files in the home dot-files/directories, that you really do not > > > want to keep. . I've done this since the Caldera (pre-RedHAT IPO) era. > > > "Nary a burp in the barrel." as they used to say in Popular Electronics. > > > > Why bother with /opt -- iirc, /opt is for optional software, not user data. > > > > I simply create a top level directory (often using my initials, e.g. /abc > > for > > my user data (~/Documents, ~/Downloads, et al -- i.e., /abc/Documents, > > ...). > > > > /opt may get filled with stuff that I don't want to treat as (my) user data. > > True true, but you may select the /opt partition from the install menu > and not re-format it. Once you boot into your fresh install, /opt is > correctly mounted and by making the necessary links from /home/user to > /opt/user you have a fully repopulated home directory. I also have > .mozilla and .thunderbird down there for safe keeping as well. A fresh > re-install is very painless. Been doing this successfully for almost > 20 years. Ric
I just copy them all into ~/<release-name>.dotfiles/, which keeps them within the encrypted fold. For programs that write a new set of configuration files where none exists, I let them do that, and then reapply my own modifications. Where I find incompatibilities, I use scripts that juggle symlinks, eg mutt, mc, audacious etc. In the case of the browser, I usually let the new version handle the transition, and then I don't go back. I enforce that commitment by having the browser-launching functions look up my permitted release/hostname combinations in an environment variable. Cheers, David.
