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In order to have a consistend desktop you need standards, every application follows. Here is another standard KDE programs should feature...

Situation: when you reinstall your system you face the following question: copy all config files with the whole /home dir (even those with old or unwanted configurations) or select which ones you want to keep and which you want to dismiss.

Problem & Proposition: in order to decide, what config files need to be kept for your favourite programs, it would be a great improvement if every application or plasmoid or anything that uses a configuration would have a small menu-point available named 'Config Files' (or similar), where the config file(s) is/are mentioned that are used by this program (e.g. similar to 'About' where the programmers selfs are mentioned). It should show something like: "main config: /.kde/share/config/hunzelfunzel and e.g. content: /.kde/share/config/hunzelfunzelrc" or something similar.

However: I know that there is a lot of documentation for the programs around. But it is a big difference if you need to look for developer documentation (what config files bewilderingly is considered to be) or just have the important info available in you program for the recent version of your program (things keep changing a lot, moreover).

At least: this is not only information relevant to admins or developers but for every user, as all config resides in the /home/ dir and every user may configurate things here himself. If you want to have meta-information all over the system, what is a good thing, this is the least to start with!

Don't expect this to happen. Once upon a time, I made an application (called kamion) which (among other related things) did what you are proposing.

In order for something like that to work, applications should (as you pointed out) provide information about config files etc., so I tried to start a discussion about that on FreeDesktop.org (it would be daft to have only KDE apps behaving this way) but nobody was interested.

So the project was abandoned.

Cheerio!

It's still a valid idea. I'll approve it.
Maybe we can have at least a debate about why it can't be implemented etc...

Yes, it is valid, and it /can/ be implemented (that is, the infrastructure can be implemented - it already is). I just said it most likely will not be completely realized

Nevertheless, I'm voting +1

never stop hoping the best. there have always been good ideas that for some reason nobody really knows took some time. Even Kirk and Spock had communicators but it took us 30 more years until we all have mobile phones...

cherio

What could you said about a backup utility of settings/data in each plasmoid or in some programs. It should been integrated into KDE.

The thing I talked about was:
http://kamion2.sourceforge.net/

So, this is not really a development/developer-related issue, but rather social and marketing issue.

@Ivan

Wow... there is such application.

KDE 4 version?
Is it possible to move E-mail accounts? Probably not, but...

Yes, it is KDE 4. At least, it was developed for 4.o - I have no idea if it still compiles - haven't tested it in ages

With a risk of repeating myself - the program works (could use some refactoring and new features, mostly backend-wise) but there is no application that ships the necessary meta-info about itself. So it is not really usable...