When the program starts up, it needs to know what its configuration is. This is not stored in the code. So it has to find its configuration data somewhere. Ideally, you'd let the user configure where they want the config file. But then the program has to read the config file to find out where the config file is, and it doesn't know where to look.

(So it seems like you pretty much have to put config data in the same place on every computer, or use environment variables.)

If you don't know about the XDG Specification in the article (I didn't), a $HOME/.myconfig file is by far the simplest and most robust solution.

The logical conclusion is that it ought to live somewhere in home which meets the above criteria. Its obviously cleaner to store data in $XDG_* but keep in mind that some of the apps creating said files are actually older than linux and certainly older than such standards.

From dev and user perspective it would be nice to have them updated to follow the standard but in practice the practical effect is nil so lots of stuff doesn't bother.

Until there is 500 dotfiles, some long forgotten.

Not my fault you dont run it there ;)

Nobody is forcing you to interact with those "new users", if you don't like them, ignore them.

Frankly, if everyone had your attitude, your Linux community will be dead and gone in a few short years as time progresses, and your old users pass away.

I've been a Linux user for a long time, I and many other long time Linux users do not share this persons opinions. New Linux users, keep coming, the vast majority of us are not elitist.

It is time we started doing that

FTFY.

If you don’t want to follow the spec, keep your program’s data in your program’s directory. If another program needs the data it can follow the $PATH, or ask the user.

Even better, ask the user at first run. You know, when asking people to accept some Byzantine EULA, license, and permission to track their grandmother.