Every tool author should use https://xdgbasedirectoryspecification.com/
this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2025
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For applications that do not respect this, the closest you can do is symlinks.
At the bottom of that page the author lists some tools that can fix apps that donβt respect this.
libetc - uses a .so to reroute syscalls that try to access files in $HOME, but this hasnβt been updated since 2018
boxxy - calls the tool in a Linux namespace with bindmounts to reroute files. This seems maintained but you need to alias commands like alias aws="boxxy aws"
on threat of imprisonment.
finished that for you.
Didn't know this, this is good to know
That does sound nice.
In the mean time, I usually just set up a "real" home directory in /home/$USER/$USER/ which is what gets backed up, and leave the original one for cruft.
now do ls -la
ls -laZ if you want to read the "do not touch my stuff" labels
Z the sacred and most important of flags
ls -laskh --color
This reminds me that my Downloads folder is like the attic. I don't fear ls -a in ~, but I fear what I will find if I wander into Downloads unprepared.
I constantly clear downloads, idk how people can stand the clutter every time they want to find something
Sort by date and at least vaguely remember when I downloaded it.
Its like archaeology
Dolphin has a built in filter bar that you can enable, so I just start typing the thing. I know we're talking command line, but I mostly interact with files through Dolphin
there are some directories in my machines i consider ephemeral. Downloads and ~/temp should be able to be deleted with no real consequences
I have a script that sorts old downloads into folders by year and month. I'm afraid to open the folders but also don't want to delete them π€£
nuke it, you (probably) won't miss it
I probably would miss it because I look for stuff sometimes (with everything search for example) and am shocked to still find interesting stuff there I forgot to sort in.
I thought about updating my script to look up the hashes of files on virus total and if it's some well know file (many uploads/checks) it's probably something I could re-download easily and can be safely nuked.
I feel so seen, so... so... touched (by so very many processes).
I'm all for an LS swap. Let's LS swap the world!
Fuck yeah! I just wish the install kits didn't cost as much as the engine itself!
Is that dresser sitting on some kind of raised platform? I donβt understand what is going on in that back corner.
No it's just an optical illusion with the rug ending and the dark wood floor reappearing
The rug is either folded up to run against the wall, or there is some kind of triangular object there.
It's the rug and lighting, but I see what your saying. It makes like a depth perception illusion. It is flat though
Edit: there's also some kind of triangular, concave? object next to the dresser in the first photo. It tripped me up without even realizing it at first
Oh shit, triangular object. I see it now thank you. That was driving me nuts.
This is just the ADHD maneuver in picture form.
ls -A*
why see the . and .. directories?
I want to be sure they haven't gone missing!
They literally cannot.
Unless it's the / directory.
Even then, . is still standing.
Just tested it (GNU coreutils 9.8 on nixos, root on zfs) and .. still exists in /, but seems to be the same as .
Gotta know your roots