XDG Base Directory support, and/or data directory environment variable

[Swivelgames]

Captchas

• [x] I have read the instructions.
• [x] I have searched existing issues and avoided creating duplicates.
• [x] I am not filing an enhancement request.
• [ ] I have checked that this issue cannot be reproduced on Mozilla Firefox.
• [x] I have checked that this issue can be reproduced once I removed all my Mods and Custom CSS.

What happened?

I understand this is likely coming from Mozilla, since they do the same thing, but we need to get ahead of this before Zen becomes too popular and it's too late. :cry:

Please don't continue this trend. We already have enough applications that do not respect XDG paths. Home directories are cluttered enough.

$XDG_STATE_HOME defines the base directory relative to which user-specific state files should be stored. If $XDG_STATE_HOME is either not set or empty, a default equal to $HOME/.local/state should be used.

Zen browser data should always be stored in $XDG_STATE_HOME, or $HOME/.local/state/zen/* if $XDG_STATE_HOME is not set on that particular machine.

Improperly Closed Issues:

• #3619
• #3260
• #1074

Tangentially Related Issues:

• #3813

Version

1.11b (Firefox 137.0) (64-bit)

What platform are you seeing the problem on?

Linux (Tarball)

What component is this issue related to?

Settings

Relevant log output if applicable

[Olypolyu]

+1

[baturax]

I totally agree.

[Jamozed]

Thank you for a more thorough write-up than mine.

As I mentioned in that ticket, this is the one thing that stops me using this browser, I (and I believe many others) have a very low tolerance of applications dumping their refuse in my home directory, so I'd definitely like to see this fixed as otherwise Zen looks quite goodly.

I think it is also worth mentioning that while a ticket exists upstream, it has been unresolved for 20 years, and even though there seemed to be some increased chatter recently, I have little faith that it will arrive any time soon.

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=259356

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi, @Swivelgames. I'm Dosu, and I'm helping the desktop team manage their backlog. I'm marking this issue as stale.

Issue Summary:

• You requested support for the XDG Base Directory specification to prevent clutter in home directories.
• @Jamozed and other users like @Olypolyu and @baturax have shown support, highlighting community interest.
• A related upstream issue has been unresolved for 20 years, indicating a long-standing challenge.

Next Steps:

• Please let me know if this issue is still relevant to the latest version of the Zen browser by commenting here.
• If there is no further activity, this issue will be automatically closed in 7 days.

Thank you for your understanding and contribution!

[ruro]

AFAIK, the "20 year old upstream issue" is only unresolved because of backwards compatibility concerns. This does not apply to zen, since it renames .mozilla to .zen anyway.

To the best of my knowledge, this issue is still relevant to the latest version of the Zen browser.

Also, dear maintainers, please reconsider using stale bots. Stale bots were considered bad before AI, tacking on an AI summarizer doesn't really change the calculus. See:

• https://blog.benwinding.com/github-stale-bots/
• https://drewdevault.com/2021/10/26/stalebot.html
• https://fvsch.com/stale-bots

[Swivelgames]

@ruro Indeed. That was one of the reasons I opened the original take back then. There's a chance to fix this now before the browser becomes stable and there's no turning back.

People don't appreciate cluttering the home dir, and it's had standards for a while that have expanded in order to accommodate applications with different types of needs.

[Olypolyu]

Hi, @Swivelgames. I'm Dosu, and I'm helping the desktop team manage their backlog. I'm marking this issue as stale.

Issue Summary:

* You requested support for the XDG Base Directory specification to prevent clutter in home directories.

* [@Jamozed](https://github.com/Jamozed) and other users like [@Olypolyu](https://github.com/Olypolyu) and [@baturax](https://github.com/baturax) have shown support, highlighting community interest.

* A related upstream issue has been unresolved for 20 years, indicating a long-standing challenge.

Next Steps:

* Please let me know if this issue is still relevant to the latest version of the Zen browser by commenting here.

* If there is no further activity, this issue will be automatically closed in 7 days.

Thank you for your understanding and contribution!

off-topic: I sure would appreciate if the bot didn't ping me for a useless mention.

[Swivelgames]

@Olypolyu You may be able to update the notification settings for the thread on the right-hand pane:

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi, @Swivelgames. I'm Dosu, and I'm helping the desktop team manage their backlog and am marking this issue as stale.

Issue Summary:

• You raised a concern about Zen browser not following the XDG Base Directory specification, causing cluttered home directories.
• Several users, including Olypolyu, baturax, and Jamozed, supported the change, referencing a similar unresolved upstream issue.
• I previously marked the issue as stale, leading to discussions on its relevance and the use of stale bots.
• You and Ruro stressed the importance of resolving this before the browser's stable release, indicating strong community interest.

Next Steps:

• Please confirm if this issue is still relevant to the latest version of the desktop repository by commenting here to keep the discussion open.
• If no further activity occurs, the issue will be automatically closed in 7 days.

Thank you for your understanding and contribution!

[musselmandev]

This is not stale, and is still relevant as we have noted more than once.... is there a way to get the bot to ignore this issue?

[iiKovu]

AFAIK, the "20 year old upstream issue" is only unresolved because of backwards compatibility concerns. This does not apply to zen, since it renames .mozilla to .zen anyway.

To the best of my knowledge, this issue is still relevant to the latest version of the Zen browser.

Also, dear maintainers, please reconsider using stale bots. Stale bots were considered bad before AI, tacking on an AI summarizer doesn't really change the calculus. See:

* https://blog.benwinding.com/github-stale-bots/

* https://drewdevault.com/2021/10/26/stalebot.html

* https://fvsch.com/stale-bots

mine now creates both, a .zen folder and a .mozilla folder, with an empty "extensions" folder inside. This behaviour was not present before, isn't it happening on yours?

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi, @Swivelgames. I'm Dosu, and I'm helping the desktop team manage their backlog and am marking this issue as stale.

Issue Summary:

• You requested that Zen browser follow the XDG Base Directory spec to store user state files in $XDG_STATE_HOME or ~/.local/state/zen to reduce home directory clutter on Linux.
• Several users, including Olypolyu, baturax, Jamozed, and ruro, have supported this change, highlighting it as a long-standing issue in Firefox and a chance to improve Zen before stable release.
• The issue has generated discussion about the stale bot's use, with multiple users asking maintainers to reconsider marking this issue stale.
• The problem remains unresolved, with reports of Zen creating both .zen and .mozilla folders, indicating ongoing relevance.

Next Steps:

• Please let me know if this issue is still relevant with the latest version of the desktop repository by commenting here to keep the discussion open.
• If I do not hear back within 7 days, this issue will be automatically closed to help us focus on active items.

Thank you for your understanding and contribution!

[Swivelgames]

@dosubot[bot] Not stale.

[Eclextic]

AFAIK, the "20 year old upstream issue" is only unresolved because of backwards compatibility concerns. This does not apply to zen, since it renames .mozilla to .zen anyway. To the best of my knowledge, this issue is still relevant to the latest version of the Zen browser. Also, dear maintainers, please reconsider using stale bots. Stale bots were considered bad before AI, tacking on an AI summarizer doesn't really change the calculus. See:

* https://blog.benwinding.com/github-stale-bots/

* https://drewdevault.com/2021/10/26/stalebot.html

* https://fvsch.com/stale-bots

mine now creates both, a .zen folder and a .mozilla folder, with an empty "extensions" folder inside. This behaviour was not present before, isn't it happening on yours?

Yeah same issue...

[John-Gee]

+1 And I'm thinking for a browser it should be pretty self-contained no?

[Damglador]

Mozilla did a thing https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=259356

[Eclextic]

YO WTH? I actually expected that issue to never get fuckin resolved?! This is awesome! Now if Steam would just do the same... (Hopefully this will be foreshadowing for the coming days)