[bug #13395] hide dotfiles in home directory

[Egmont Koblinger <savannah-bounces gnu org>]

Follow-up Comment #3, bug #13395 (project mc):

It is a really bad idea and even raises security issues if a normal user can
control the behavior how root sees his/her files.
Whether or not hidden files are displayed to root should only
depend on root's settings and not on any user's settings.

Anyway I guess the same holds for normal users, too. I do want to see joe's
dotfiles if I have permission to, no matter if joe has a directory entry
called "(hidden files)".

To comment #2: the original reporter (pabs) wanted to make the "show dotfiles"
the default and have an exception for one directory. Your proposal is the
opposite: make "don't show dotfiles" the default and allow to take exceptions.
I don't think pabs wants to create such a special file in every directory
except his home. However, someone else might want it the way you want it. So
then we should have the possibility to override mc's default in both ways:
force show, and force not show.

Now this leads to so many possible filenames with special meanings to mc. If
this feature is required at all, I suggest using only one filename or
directory which begins with a dot (such as .mc_specials) and put all the
configuration stuff in this file or under this directory. This would be quite
similar then to the CVS or .svn directories of the version controlling
systems.

Anyway, I basically don't like this whole idea of custom directory entries,
IMHO mc should not pollute the filename namespace and should not create files
that disturb me outside mc (e.g. in "ls", "nautilus" etc...).

I'm perfectly okay with a global configuration options "show dotfiles except
in my home" if more people would like to see it. If some more general method
is needed, take a look at http://freshmeat.net/projects/hidefile/ which is an
example on how to hide files outside of mc's scope so that ls, nautilus etc.
are also influenced.

My biggest trouble is that once we have this "force hidden files" and "force
no hidden files" per-directory options, I'm afraid no-one can stop people
requesting dozens of similar stupid per-directory configuration options, such
as to have different Listing mode, different editor/viewer etc. to each
directory.


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