[plt-dev] .mzschemerc => .racketrc and more

On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 5:29 PM, Matthew Flatt <mflatt at cs.utah.edu> wrote:
>> I worry that this is problematic for backwards compatibility (esp. the
>> prefs files).  Anyone who uses PLT Scheme will install Racket, and all
>> of their configuration will go away.  That seems like a recipe for
>> unhappy users.
>>
>> Perhaps `racket' should use .mzschemerc if only it is present (and not
>> .racketrc), and similarly for the preferences files.
>
> I have trouble seeing backward compatibility with respect to an account
> configuration as a significant issue. The manual fix is trivial, and I
> really dislike introducing search paths.

I understand the dislike of search paths, but for preferences the fix
is not nearly so obvious.  If you're a freshman who just started using
DrScheme, and you switch to the new version, and all your preferences
are gone, the "copy the file" solution potentially requires all manner
of additional information (where is the preferences file saved, what
user directories are, etc), and mostly looks to the user like a bug.

I've seen lots of users become upset about software upgrades losing
their preferences, including I think some in PLT, otherwise I wouldn't
suggest this solution.
-- 
sam th
samth at ccs.neu.edu