[GNC-dev] GnuCash 3 on Linux

[Wm]

On 24/02/2019 16:51, Geert Janssens wrote:
> Op zondag 24 februari 2019 12:54:35 CET schreef Wm via gnucash-devel:
>> On 24/02/2019 02:25, David Cousens wrote:
>>> Wm,
>>
>> David, I appreciate your efforts as peacemaker, don't give up on all of
>> us yet, most of us are trying to be good, promise :)
>>
>>> If you draw a diagram from the information in the wiki page
>>> https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations
>>> where the  meta data and report data is stored becomes fairly obvious and
>>> is fairly simple.
>>
>> I disagree, the user doesn't always know where their stuff is and
>> therefore can't make a sensible backup.  We (gnc) have a theory about
>> where stuff should be but in practice it could be just about anywhere.
>>
>> My argument is that we should put important stuff near or approximate to
>> the data it relates to rather than further away from it.
>>
>>> There was considerable discussion in the forums at the time the changes
>>> were being made from 2.6 to 3.0.
>>
>> Not all views were heard.  Taking a poll and not listening to the views
>> that disagree with you is ordinary.
>>
>> This has ended up with me saying Geert (a person I respect enormously)
>> may be a liar :(
>>
> Sigh...
> 
> Let it be clear the current thread is mixing up several discussions.
> 
> 1. I agree (and always have) that certain data (like saved reports) is stored
> in the wrong place, namely in the metadata directory instead of in the gnucash
> data file.

Near the data file is fine, it doesn't have to be inside it.  the stored 
reports mechanism is imperfect but OK so long as we can keep a close 
association with the data the reports are reporting on.

I'm not the only person that has noticed that stored reports are 
essentially useless when not associated with the data to which they belong.

Are you unusually stupid in this regard?

> This has been historically so and hasn't changed between gnucash
> 2.6 and 3. 

Not true, there was a structural change between 2.x and 3.x

> The same data is still stored in locations reserved for application
> internal housekeeping (metadata).

I'm listening to you trying to work out what you did wrong.

> 2. In the preparations to line up to gnucash 3 I decided to do some lower
> level housekeeping, namely to move everything that was *already stored* in the
> historical metadata/config directory ($HOME/.gnucash on linux) into present
> day recommended locations per platform ($HOME/.config/gnucash and
> $HOME/.local/share/gnucash on linux).

I think that was unwise, let's continue.

> On MacOS this was already the case so
> nothing changed there. On windows the move was from $HOME/.gnucash to
> %APPDATA%\GnuCash, the default location on Windows *and* a request by several
> users that didn't like the .gnucash in their $HOME.

Hmmmn, OK, you can make it my fault for not being strong enough in 
objecting.  Is that what you want me to say?  I honestly didn't believe 
gnc would do such a stupid thing.

> It was never my aim at
> that point to do the bigger cleanup of sorting out which stuff that was in
> separate metadata files should really be moved into the gnucash data file.

But that is what happened and, I think, can't be undone now.

https://bugs.gnucash.org/show_bug.cgi?id=797117

> That's a completely different work that should still happen somewhere further
> down in the current big refactoring.

I think it is too late.

> In further discussions, let's try to be clear please about what aspect is
> being discussed.

I'd like you to address the bug, remember this all started with someone 
asking what to back up and no senior person from gnc having an answer.

*you* put the metadata somewhere and *you* don't know where it is.

shame on you.

-- 
Wm