[Scummvm-devel] Windows experience

[Daniel Franzini]

This is recurrent problem with Windows development (not only for games, I
must say).

Developers, in general, have to deal with two types of files they need to
care about:

1.) System-wide configuration files: these files have the global
configuration settings. Whatever people feels or the system that can be
thought as global. The propose of this is that users should not have to
setup ScummVM again just because they changed the user that is logged in
the machine.

2.) User-specific configurarion/savegame files: these are user-specific and
contains savegames, volume, etc specific to a particular user.

(2) Can live in %Documents%\ScummVM

There is no consensus about (1). What is true, like already said is that
%ProgramFiles% is not the right place.

About (2), it seems that the "most correct" place is %USERPROFILE%. What I
would suggest is that, since this is a somewhat hidden folder, we could
offer some sort of "Copy" or "Backup" option to users so they can easily
make a backup of the savegames and config files.


On Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 6:29 AM, Travis Howell <kirben at optusnet.com.au>wrote:

> On 23/12/2011 10:35 AM, Willem Jan Palenstijn wrote:
> > And if there's a standard location for Windows Vista and Windows 7,
> > why aren't we using it? Are we really letting ancient versions dictate
> > our behaviour on modern Windows versions?
>
> More a case of few or no developers using actually Windows Vista or 7 I
> expect. Windows XP is still widely used, although older Windows versions
> are much less common.
>
> Adding a default saved path for Windows should at least cover Windows
> NT4 onwards, where write access can be limited (depending on settings)
> and to provide a consistent location across those Windows versions.
>
> Storing saved games in similar location (Application
> Data\user\ScummVM\Saved games\) to config file and log files
> (Application Data\user\ScummVM\), would provide a provide a more
> consistent location. And is very similar to the standard location
> (Application Data\user\Saved games\ScummVM\ ) provided by Windows Vista/7.
>
> On 27/12/2011 11:40 AM, Johannes Schickel wrote:
> > I'm not a Windows port user myself, but I think "%documents%\ScummVM"
> > seems like a good place for the config file, the log file and the
> > default savegame location for modern Windows (i.e. Vista/7) systems at
> > least. Of course one might want to have some directory structure in
> > there, like a special subfolder for saves, so it's not so easy to miss
> > the config file in a lot of saves or the like ;-).
>
> A central location for all ScummVM related files, with a sub directory
> for saved games, is a good idea. But at the Application Data location,
> where the config file and log file are already stored under Windows.
> Moving the config file again would be a bad idea, since it would mean
> the config file could be in three locations (My Documents, Application
> Data or the Windows directory), due to backwards compatibility.
>
> I will change the default saved game path for Windows NT4 onwards to
> %USERPROFILE%\ScummVM\Saved Games, unless there are further objections.
> This will use the following paths for saved games by default:
> Windows Vista/7: \Users\username\AppData\Roaming\ScummVM\Saved games\
> Windows 2000/XP: \Documents and Settings\username\Application
> Data\ScummVM\Saved games\
> Windows NT4: <windir>\Profiles\username\Application Data\ScummVM\Saved
> games\
>
> Also adding a 'Saved Games (default)' to the ScummVM section of the
> Start menu, to provide easy access to that location.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Write once. Port to many.
> Get the SDK and tools to simplify cross-platform app development. Create
> new or port existing apps to sell to consumers worldwide. Explore the
> Intel AppUpSM program developer opportunity. appdeveloper.intel.com/join
> http://p.sf.net/sfu/intel-appdev
> _______________________________________________
> Scummvm-devel mailing list
> Scummvm-devel at lists.sourceforge.net
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/scummvm-devel
>



-- 
Daniel

"Let us change our traditional attitude to the construction of programs.
Instead of imagining that our main task is to instruct a computer what to
do, let us concentrate rather on explaining to human beings what we want a
computer to do." (Donald Knuth)

"Yes, technogeeks can be funny, even if only to each other." (
http://www.boogieonline.com/revolution/science/humor/)"

"Man is driven to create; I know I really love to create things. And while
I'm not good at painting, drawing, or music, I can write software."
(Yukihiro Matsumoto, a.k.a. ``Matz'')



-- 
Daniel

"Let us change our traditional attitude to the construction of programs.
Instead of imagining that our main task is to instruct a computer what to
do, let us concentrate rather on explaining to human beings what we want a
computer to do." (Donald Knuth)

"Yes, technogeeks can be funny, even if only to each other." (
http://www.boogieonline.com/revolution/science/humor/)"

"Man is driven to create; I know I really love to create things. And while
I'm not good at painting, drawing, or music, I can write software."
(Yukihiro Matsumoto, a.k.a. ``Matz'')
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.scummvm.org/pipermail/scummvm-devel/attachments/20111228/7b0e10a3/attachment.html>