Future of .wine/config

"Adrian Willenbücher" addy86-ml at gmx.net
Wed Aug 11 11:03:32 CDT 2004


Hello!

I read on another thread that the config file is going to disappear in
future wine versions. While I think that the dosdevices-principle is a good
idea (it's very intuitive), there are several disadvantages in moving the
content of the config file to the registry:

1. Even if the registry keys and values of wine's configuration should be
well documented, it's easier to set some values using a text editor than to
use regedit and look for the keys.

2. Although it might be convenient to access both, wine's and the Windows
programs' data, using the same functions, this should not be done as there
should be a clear distinction between wine and the programs it runs.

3. If a program misbehaves and messes up your registry and/or if you decide
to start again with a clean installation, you just delete some registry
files and directories and have a new system (I think of the case you don't
work in a native Windows installation) without to setup wine's configuration
again.

4. To put wine's configuration into the registry is a step towards a
"Wine-is-Windows", i.e. not just providing Windows' functionality but also
behaving like Windows (and this should be avoided under all circumstances
;-) ). Wine is "just" an emulator for Windows, it is not supposed to be a
new "Open Source Windows".
The Windows' handling of configuration data (every application puts its data
into the same two files: the registry) is inferior compared to the Unix'
one's (every application has its own configuration file/directory in a
common place). This makes it difficult e.g. to manually deinstall a
program/software package.

Well, my opinion. What do you think about it?

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