Re: $HOME default on w32

[CHENG Gao]

,----
| It seems that on w32, if HOME is not defined we default it to C:/.
| Wouldn't it make more sense to default it to $USERPOFILE (if set) which on XP
| seems to typically point to C:/Documents and Files/<user> which is about as
| close to a "home directory" as it gets?
`----

May not be a good idea.

C:/Documents and Settings/<user contains spaces. I am afraid it may cause
problems.

For Emacs, I think installing it to C:/Program Files/ and set HOME to
C:/Documents and Settings/ are both bad ideas. Space in directory name may
cause problems.

And if you store important data in silly M$-registered C:/Documents and
Settings/, then if your computer has fatal problems so that you have to
reinstall, you'll have problems as following:

Say your computer name is "LAZYBONE", and your Windows user  name is "SMARTBOY".

1. If you reinstall Windows, new install wont set C:/Documents and
   Settings/SMARTBOY as your Home dir. Instead it's C:/Documents and
   Settings/SMARTBOY.LAZYBONE/.
   You have to move your data to this new dir.

And I dont think the dir is simply C:/Documents and Settings/<user>, it
may be C:/Documents and Settings/Application Data/ or C:/Documents and
Settings/Local Settings/Application Data/. I am not sure.

2. There is chance that you may format your C: and reinstall Windows
   from scratch. It's highly possible you forget there is so important
   data under this
   too-damned-long-and-silly-named-with-many-stupid-spaces-dir. You know
   what this means.
   I can image that there must be many OE users around the world who
   forget to backup their emails before reinstalling. 

I know I talked too much.

To sum up, I think it's very bad idea to follow this M$ sillie. And if
possible, I think use a subdir under C: should be avoided.
A good choice may be d:/home.

If you are a Windows sufferer, you know you have to reinstall it several
times each year. And every time, you have risk to lose some important
data.

Just my 2 RMB cents.

-- 
这去者，不能见他的脸，背影模糊。