XDGcompliant

XDGcompliant is a term used to describe software or configurations that adhere to the Freedesktop.org XDG Base Directory Specification. This specification aims to standardize the locations of user-specific configuration files, data files, and cache files across different Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The primary goal is to promote a cleaner and more predictable file system hierarchy for user data.

Before the XDG Base Directory Specification, applications often stored their configuration and data files in various locations within the user's home directory, such as dotfiles (e.g., .bashrc, .vimrc) or directories like ~/.config, ~/.local/share, and ~/.cache. This lack of standardization could lead to clutter and difficulty in managing user settings.

The XDG specification defines three main environment variables that determine these locations: XDG_CONFIG_HOME, XDG_DATA_HOME, and XDG_CACHE_HOME. If these variables are not set by the user, they default to sensible locations: ~/.config for configuration, ~/.local/share for data, and ~/.cache for cache files.

Software that is XDGcompliant respects these environment variables. This means that when an XDGcompliant application needs to read or write a configuration file, it will first check for the XDG_CONFIG_HOME variable. If it's set, the application will look for its configuration files within that directory. If XDG_CONFIG_HOME is not set, it will default to ~/.config. The same logic applies to data and cache files with XDG_DATA_HOME and XDG_CACHE_HOME, respectively.

Adhering to the XDG standard simplifies user experience by centralizing application settings and data. It also aids system administrators and developers in managing user environments and understanding where application-specific files reside. Many modern desktop environments and applications are now XDGcompliant, contributing to a more organized and consistent user experience on Linux.