  <appendix id="appendixa-0">
    <title>Hidden Directories</title>
    <highlights>
      <para>This appendix describes the hidden directories that the
GNOME Desktop adds to the home directories of users. </para>
    </highlights>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>hidden directories</primary>
    </indexterm>
    <indexterm>
      <primary>.* directories</primary>
      <see>hidden directories</see>
    </indexterm>
    <para>A hidden
directory is a directory that has a name that begins with a period (.). <xref linkend="appendixa-TBL-2"/> describes the hidden directories that the GNOME
Desktop adds to the home directories of users. </para>
    <table frame="topbot" id="appendixa-TBL-2">
      <title>Hidden Directories in User Home Directories</title>
      <tgroup cols="2" colsep="0" rowsep="0">
        <colspec colname="colspec0" colwidth="50*"/>
        <colspec colname="colspec1" colwidth="50*"/>
        <thead>
          <row rowsep="1">
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Directory</para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Description</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.esd_auth</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Contains the authentication cookie for the GNOME
sound daemon. The GNOME sound daemon is the Enlightened Sound Daemon (ESD).</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.gconf</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Contains the <application>GConf</application> configuration
source for the user. When the user sets a preference, the new preference information
is added to this location.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.gconfd</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Contains the following <application>GConf</application>
daemon details:</para>
              <itemizedlist>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Configuration information.</para>
                </listitem>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Lock information for objects that are referenced by an  <firstterm>Interoperable Object Reference (IOR)</firstterm>.</para>
                </listitem>
                <listitem>
                  <para>State information for objects that are referenced by an  IOR.</para>
                </listitem>
              </itemizedlist>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.gnome</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Contains user-specific application data that is
not stored in the <application>GConf</application> repository. For example,
this directory contains MIME type information and session information for
the user. </para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.gnome-desktop</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>The <application>Nautilus</application> file manager
contains a preference that enables users to use the file manager to
manage the desktop. If the user selects this option, this directory contains
the objects that are on the desktop of the user. This directory contains the
following:</para>
              <itemizedlist>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Objects on the desktop, for example, the <guilabel>Home</guilabel>
object, the <guilabel>Trash</guilabel> object, and other launchers. The objects
appear in the directory as desktop entry files. For example, the <filename>starthere.desktop</filename> file contains a link to the <guilabel>Start Here</guilabel> location. </para>
                </listitem>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Removable media volumes that are mounted.</para>
                </listitem>
              </itemizedlist>
              <para>The file manager also contains a preference that enables
users to use the home directory as the desktop directory, instead of <filename>.gnome-desktop</filename>. If a user selects this option, the contents of
the home directory are displayed as desktop objects.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.gnome2</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Contains user-specific application data that is
not stored in the <application>GConf</application> repository. For example,
this directory contains the following:</para>
              <itemizedlist>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Keyboard shortcut information.</para>
                </listitem>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Window location information.</para>
                </listitem>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Desktop entry files for panel launchers.</para>
                </listitem>
              </itemizedlist>
              <para>This directory also contains user-specific menu data.
If a user modifies menus, the details are stored here.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.gnome2-private</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Ignore this directory. This directory has no function
at the time of publication of this guide.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.metacity</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Contains session data for the <application>Metacity</application> window manager.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.nautilus</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Contains file manager data that is specific to the
user. For example, this directory can contain the following: </para>
              <itemizedlist>
                <listitem>
                  <para>Metadata for the directories with which the user works.</para>
                </listitem>
                <listitem>
                  <para><application>Nautilus</application> themes that the user adds.</para>
                </listitem>
                <listitem>
                  <para><application>Nautilus</application> emblems that the user
adds.</para>
                </listitem>
                <listitem>
                  <para><application>Nautilus</application> desktop  images.</para>
                </listitem>
              </itemizedlist>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.themes</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Contains controls themes, window frame themes, and
icons themes that the user adds. The user can add themes from the <application>Theme</application> preference tool.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.thumbnails</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry valign="top">
              <para>Contains image thumbnails for the user. The image
thumbnails are used in the file manager. The file manager contains a preference
that the user can select to stop generation of thumbnail images.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
          <row>
            <entry colname="colspec0" valign="top">
              <para>
                <filename>.xscreensaver</filename>
              </para>
            </entry>
            <entry colname="colspec1" valign="top">
              <para>Contains
screensaver configuration data and screensaver preference data.</para>
            </entry>
          </row>
        </tbody>
      </tgroup>
    </table>
  </appendix>
