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Subject: Re: /usr/local, /var and */tmp in c:\Users\Public
From: Warren Young <wyml AT etr-usa DOT com>
In-Reply-To: <CABa6CEkRV=3FY6ZVGrdt--rH3PppwCJRD5poU0L2knv2k2ce_w@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:16:44 -0700
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On Nov 12, 2014, at 2:53 PM, cyg Simple <cygsimple AT gmail DOT com> wrote:

> On Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 1:00 PM, Warren Young wrote:
>> 
>> I think it would be an improvement to Cygwin if c:\cygwin contained only things that can be reinstalled from your local setup.exe download cache, in the same way that you can nuke "c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office $version” and reinstall without losing anything you created locally.
>> 
> 
> What local changes/installations get lost?

Currently, if you nuke a default installation into c:\cygwin, you lose /home, /etc, /var and /usr/local, all of which contain user files and/or local system configuration.

Step 4 in the recommended uninstallation sequence[1] doesn't warn about this.  I guess the thought there is that if you’re uninstalling Cygwin, you probably just installed it recently and decided you don’t want it.

Apparently those of us who have been using Cygwin for years and just need to do a clean reinstall for some reason are expected to know enough not to take step 4 too literally.

(Indeed, I have never nuked myself this way.  Still, it seems a bit of an oversight.)

> Please NO not by default or offering an option.  A back end tool maybe
> in cygutils that can be run manually.

Are you just asking me not to move your cheese[2], or do you have a specific problem with this, which we could discuss?

How does it help you to have user files intermixed with system files?  Do you save documents into c:\Program Files, too?


[1] https://cygwin.com/faq/faq.html#faq.setup.uninstall-all
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Moved_My_Cheese%3F
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