Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnewsk!ech
From: ech@cbnewsk.ATT.COM (ned.horvath)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: File Manager question
Message-ID: <872@cbnewsk.ATT.COM>
Date: 19 Aug 89 17:28:18 GMT
References: <1437@draken.nada.kth.se>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 23

In article <8334@hoptoad.uucp> tim@hoptoad.UUCP (Tim Maroney) writes:
 [ABout saving prefs in App folder or System folder]
>The system folder solution is the one everyone else uses, so you really
>ought to do the same to avoid confusing the user.

From article <1437@draken.nada.kth.se>, by d88-jwa@nada.kth.se (All this was brought to you by h+@nada.kth.se  Replys via email welcome!):
> Well, actually, no it isn't. AppleScan, for instance, save prefs in the
> Application folder, so far as I have noticed. I've seen this once or
> twice in other Apple-ications as well...

There are two issues: keep conceptually "read only" files -- thesaurus
and dictionary if you're a WP, "toolkits" if you're doing CAD, Host files
if you're communications, etc. -- in the application folder.  That folder
is easy to find, just do a "GetVol" at launch time and remember the vRefNum.

However, despite the ugly fact that the System Folder is already too damned
big, preference files are writeable (by definition), and the blessed folder
is the only reliably safe place to put them.  This is particularly important
in network environments, where we can share multilaunched apps (and
associated resource files), but have to retain separate preference files
and documents.

=Ned Horvath=