Future of .wine/config

[Mike Hearn]

Adrian Willenbücher wrote:
> 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.

We know that, this is why we're:

a) Eliminating as many config options as possible
b) Writing winecfg to configure the rest graphically

> 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.

You realise that the config file was already mounted into the registry 
on startup right? This is just about moving files around really. It has 
one BIG advantage also, namely that we can write a graphical editor for 
it! It's really hard to do that with the current config file even though 
they have the same syntax.

> 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?

I think you need to open up ~/.wine/system.reg in a text editor and 
observe that it has a nearly identical syntax to the config file ;) 
Exporting a configuration is just a matter of copy/paste. Importing 
becomes "regedit myconfig.reg". There are currently no plans to move to 
a binary registry format.

thanks -mike