Re: Desktop apps interoperability

[Ivan Gyurdiev <ivg2@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> People who use Linux for their desktop usually enjoy one thing: That
> they can sort things according to _their_ needs, not according to
> whatever some "expert" in Redmond has prescribed.

It's hard to think of a plan that confines desktop applications, if
people want to do whatever they'd like with their system, not caring
about file placement. I had the same opinion about a year ago when
SElinux started restricting what I do with my files outside ~/home - 
I had a folder called /data, and now that wouldn't be accessible 
the way I expected. I wasn't too happy about it, but since then I've 
accepted that it's necessary for me to change my expectations a bit.

The root user already can't do whatever he wanted to before - there's
an expected schema that he/she must follow in order for things to work -
expected placement of system files. This is just extending that
restriction to the /home folder.

If you have a better proposal...

> Define the roles, but don't define the directories. If I want my
> downloads in ~/Downloads/ and not in ~/content/downloads/ there is no
> reason not to allow me that.

Well, If you want to create ~/Downloads and label it with the proper
context manually, there wouldn't be anything to stop you, and that 
should work. However, I think a folder should already exists, which is
properly labeled, so a user wouldn't have to figure out how to do this
by themselves.

> Plus, I still don't dig your "content" idea. First, it's a marketing
> buzzword abstraction with zero meaning for regular folks. Two, are you
> kidding me? How much "non-content" do you think I store in my $HOME to
> give "content" it's own subdirectory?

You store .bashrc, .bash_profile, .xauth files, configuration files, 
secret gpg keyrings... Those are all things I wouldn't describe as
content. If it's hidden, then I wouldn't consider it content.
-- 
Ivan Gyurdiev <ivg2@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cornell University


--
This message was distributed to subscribers of the selinux mailing list.
If you no longer wish to subscribe, send mail to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with
the words "unsubscribe selinux" without quotes as the message.