Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!ATHENA.MIT.EDU!swick
From: swick@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Ralph R. Swick)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: app-defaults or xrdb?
Message-ID: <9001092039.AA03632@lyre.MIT.EDU>
Date: 9 Jan 90 20:39:49 GMT
References: <4468@hemuli.tik.vtt.fi>
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: DEC/MIT Project Athena
Lines: 23

> [query]
> the app-defaults
> files are to be considered part of the corresponding program's source
> code, and shouldn't be edited to provide site-wide settings.

Chris gave a good answer (that app-defaults were intended for
site customization), but I'd like to expand on it just a little
since this is certainly a grey area.  Commercial application
developers are going to want to declare portions of the resource
database 'off-limits' to modification.  While they certainly can
accomplish this with code, I think a gentlepersons agreement on
respecting comments in app-defaults (of the form "!** do not modify **")
will make life generally more pleasant.  Discussions on what those
conventions should be are welcome on this list.

My first suggestion is that site mods to supplied app-defaults
files be made at the bottom (no need to remove earlier specs;
Xrm will very conveniently take care of this), with a comment
of the form

!**** Athena site mods start here ****

-Ralph