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The XDG Base Directory Specification standardizes best practices for which folders a user-scoped programs may write to.

What does XDG stand for, what's the story behind the name?

hippietrail
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Ari Sweedler
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1 Answers1

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From https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/

freedesktop.org hosts the development of free and open source software, focused on interoperability and shared technology for open-source graphical and desktop systems. We do not ourselves produce a desktop, but we aim to help others to do so.

We also host discussion and development of specifications for interoperability. A full list is available at our specifications page.

These specifications mostly cover low-level desktop issues, such as identifying file types, launching applications, and exchanging data between applications and desktops. They are often called 'XDG' specifications, as an acronym for the Cross-Desktop Group.

So to answer my question, XDG stands for "Cross-Desktop Group", and it's a way to help with compatibility between systems.

Ari Sweedler
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    XDG was originally "X Desktop Group" (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedesktop.org see https://lwn.net/2000/0427/a/freedesktop.html), but, yeah, "X" as a monolithic "thing" is kind of on the way out (see also: wayland), so I can see how they'd want to creatively rebrand the anachronym "X" DG with the backronym "Cross" Desktop Group. – michael Nov 11 '21 at 09:51