jfw@mit-ccc@sri-unix (10/26/82)
Date: 22 Oct 1982 13:51:30-EDT Viewpoint: Affirmative If you want dot files to go to a directory, which one? Is it to be called "lib" (but .newsrc isn't a library type file!), "initfiles" (but .plan is not an initfile)? What does a program do if it wants to run for a new user but finds that the directory is missing? Fork off a "mkdir"? Gross! And, what about the poor user who suddenly finds that there is this mysterious addition to his listing, "drwxrwxrwx 10 luser DotFiles ..."? One way or another, whatever convention is taken will have to be explained (Well, to change your prompt you have to edit .profile (but I don't have one?). VERSUS Well, to change your prompt you have to edit mumble/profile (do I have one? I haven't looked...)). Either way, it is a convention, and I personally feel that the invisible dot convention is the more uniform and useful (I have never felt a deep urge to create a .mumble which was so important that I wanted it to show up on ls).