Ask HN: Why don't windows and mac apps default directories the way emacs does? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Why don't windows and mac apps default directories the way emacs does?

6 pointsmhdhn6 comments

I've been using Mac OS's and Windows OS's since the '80's like everyone else. I still do not like and do not even get what standard, modern apps use to determine what directory to start out in when you do File -> Open.... And I still don't get what directory they choose to use when you do File -> Save As.... In Emacs, it's always been simple and right: when you do "open" (c-x c-f), it defaults to the same directory as the document you're looking at (the current buffer), and when you do Save As..., it also defaults to saving in the same directory as the document you're looking at (the current buffer). I waste so much time in "modern" apps navigating to the directory I want when it's almost always just the directory of the current file. I wonder if I'm just missing something about the way it works, but I would like to know what is the rationale, if anyone knows. The only other time I asked someone seriously about this, a Windows app developer, was when I suggested defaulting the way I'm used to, and he said that was a great idea, he'd never thought of that. I thought that he might have been pulling my leg though. I kind of don't get it. :)

Obviously it depends on the app. Most apps I use do it intelligently. Maybe I am avoiding the dumb ones?

I suspect your developer friend is more like the typical developer. In that they never thought about that.

I cannot tell you how many apps / web sites I have used where it is obvious that no one ever took a critical look at the user interaction. They have the pretty picture but not the functional interaction. My biggest bitch is the things that ask you to create, yet another password. Then they do not tell you what BS rules they have until you violate them. In the back of my mind I hear jerk laughing "oh no thats just not right, what wrong with you, you need Upper Lower number symbol, at least 3 of each, not repeating not adjacent on keyboard or ordinarily a note from your mother etc etc...." WTF why can they not list the rules up front. <thank you I feel better now getting that off my chest :)>

> I wonder if I'm just missing something about the way it works

On Windows when you create the dialog there is a flag named "restore directory" or something like this depending on the API. It will open the dialog on the same folder you used last time for this type of dialog for this application. It's stored in the registry. Depending on the application this could be a better default than the currently opened file.

Because it's called "Finder" so it'd be weird if you were already in the right place.

But seriously? You're right. Modern software is rushed out the door according to a marketing deadline. These kinds of details never get priority. Nobody gets promoted at Apple for these kinds of things.

The answer is in the question: defaults. If the app developer didn't conscoiusly provide the starting directory for an open/save-as dialog it will use the system default. On Windows this will often be the directory containing the program executable which is quite useless. Blame the File open/save dialog api.

Because "worse is better" ate the world a long time ago

Thankfully VSCode behaves like how you describe Emacs too.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com