Why is it in appdata?

[Recon]

I just installed the new FTB launcher, and tried to get the DW20 1.6.4 modpack running.

It did not work. But I noticed that it installed in my windows user /appdata folder. Why is it located here?

I'm currently trying to move it to my games/minecraft/ftb folder, but now it insists on redownloading the 110MB mod pack file.

And its downloading into appdata, not where I told it to go. How can I get it to stop using appdata?

Trying a third time, by deleting EVERYTHING first, and running. Making SURE that my install folder is in my games/minecraft/ftb folder. And STILL its installing into appdata.

 

[Tristam Izumi]

If we're being technical, where else should an app store its data? I mean the folder *is* called APP DATA.

 

[rhn]

I just installed the new FTB launcher, and tried to get the DW20 1.6.4 modpack running.

It did not work. But I noticed that it installed in my windows user /appdata folder. Why is it located here?

Its the default vanilla Minecraft install folder. If you want to install it elsewhere just go to Options in the launcher and chance the Install folder.

 

[Recon]

Yes I did change the folder in Options, and it installed in the place I wanted, but I also put the data in appdata where I wanted it not to be.

Incidentally, the DW20 1.6.4 pack isn't working for me. It just locks up when I try to launch.

Regarding "where else should an app store its data"... How about a wizard which asks the user where to put it? Programs never used to have issues on where to store things before the socialist style program conformity has become popular in recent times. Appdata (for most people) is on the C drive, and a lot of people are starting to use SSDs now. Its a very good idea to have the option to install elsewhere. Besides, appdata is a pain in the ass to navigate to, and some of us actually do things with our files besides the default configurations.

 

[Bibble]

Yes I did change the folder in Options, and it installed in the place I wanted, but I also put the data in appdata where I wanted it not to be.

Incidentally, the DW20 1.6.4 pack isn't working for me. It just locks up when I try to launch.

Regarding "where else should an app store its data"... How about a wizard which asks the user where to put it? Programs never used to have issues on where to store things before the socialist style program conformity has become popular in recent times. Appdata (for most people) is on the C drive, and a lot of people are starting to use SSDs now. Its a very good idea to have the option to install elsewhere. Besides, appdata is a pain in the ass to navigate to, and some of us actually do things with our files besides the default configurations.

For the pack issues, I've seen similar stuff. Have you tried removing all the data for the pack and re-downloading? The first time I tried it, it seemed to mess up the install somehow.

And, regarding the appdata stuff, I don't see any reason that this should be the default behaviour. The majority of people have fairly standard setups, made by people other than them, and they want something that just works. Those running SSDs, and wanting to manually manage the storage, are a smaller, more technically able section of the userbase. I would see it as perfectly plausible that the default is appdata, with the ability to change it in options, rather than confusing others when they first start the launcher.

 

[Recon]

Maybe I'm just mourning the demise of the technically adept demographic. There once was a day when the average gamer knew all about the files on his computer and preferred to maintain control of where things go.

I'll probably give the DW20 pack another shot from scratch and see if I can get it working. I've got the AT Launcher behaving again, so I'll be using that for my personal world.

 

[rhn]

Maybe I'm just mourning the demise of the technically adept demographic. There once was a day when the average gamer knew all about the files on his computer and preferred to maintain control of where things go.

I'll probably give the DW20 pack another shot from scratch and see if I can get it working. I've got the AT Launcher behaving again, so I'll be using that for my personal world.

Yeah the trend now seem to be to make it "easier" for the user by burying data in very deep and confusing layers of folders, and then presenting the data in nicely presented(but virtual and completely differently named) folders. Try having someone less computer adapt on one of the newer non english windows systems find the actual location of something like your Documents folder... Also don't understand why the OS isn't by default installed on a separate partition and all important data(like documents, pictures etc) placed on another partition. Because lets face it, people who do not know how to take proper care of it will have their OS crash eventually(unless they just give up on it being slow and buys a new computer before that happens). And there is a great chance they will loose their data in the process of reinstalling the OS(or just giving up and buying a new pc(yes this happens...)).

 

[Bibble]

Maybe I'm just mourning the demise of the technically adept demographic. There once was a day when the average gamer knew all about the files on his computer and preferred to maintain control of where things go.

I'll probably give the DW20 pack another shot from scratch and see if I can get it working. I've got the AT Launcher behaving again, so I'll be using that for my personal world.

To be fair, there are 2 main reason for this:
1. Those people haven't gone anywhere. They're still in the demographic, the entire set has just expanded to include some people who's interests may not, necessarily, involve the micromanaging of computer settings. As I said before, those who want to change settings from the norm are perfectly able to do so, but spamming everyone else with dialog boxes causes confusion and alienation.
2. As a result of the changes, some of the technically able people have realised that they DON'T actually need to micromanage everything. Occasionally, there are people smarter than they are setting the settings up, and they can just leave it to do it's thing.

And, @rhn aside from the notable case of Windows 8 (which has not made the great strides in usability that it thinks it has), the locations of these things haven't changed. MS hop about on a regular basis, but the files are always in a moderately sensible place. The UNIX files system (OSX, Linux, etc.) hasn't changed in years. The major difference is realising that the majority of people just want to be able to access their files, rather than knowing exactly where they are (hence, Libraries and, prior to that, My Documents).

I'm aware that things have changed, and approaches are different to what they once were, but please don't glance back with rose-tinted glasses at the times when computer use was restricted to the few people able de-obfuscate the obscure decisions made by the developers. UI design and HCI research has come on leaps and bounds, and I, for one, am glad of it.

 

[Hambeau]

Maybe I'm just mourning the demise of the technically adept demographic. There once was a day when the average gamer knew all about the files on his computer and preferred to maintain control of where things go.

I'll probably give the DW20 pack another shot from scratch and see if I can get it working. I've got the AT Launcher behaving again, so I'll be using that for my personal world.

Appdata is the standard location for new Windows software to save data. For one thing, it ensures that if you do backups all the software in Appdata (Outlook e-mail, Word documents and Minecraft files for example) is included. It also, if you are in a multi-user/single computer environment that the game's data is safe from "accidental" mayhem and that each user keeps their own set of files safe, as only the user and Administrator have access to the individual user directories.

The "Technically Adept" are still here. We haven't all stampeded to the inferior electronics of most tablets and all "smartphones", at least not for our gaming enjoyment. (as if you could enjoy gaming on a < 24 inch 1920x1080 screen)

 

[Tristam Izumi]

Appdata is the standard location for new Windows software to save data. For one thing, it ensures that if you do backups all the software in Appdata (Outlook e-mail, Word documents and Minecraft files for example) is included. It also, if you are in a multi-user/single computer environment that the game's data is safe from "accidental" mayhem and that each user keeps their own set of files safe, as only the user and Administrator have access to the individual user directories.

The "Technically Adept" are still here. We haven't all stampeded to the inferior electronics of most tablets and all "smartphones", at least not for our gaming enjoyment. (as if you could enjoy gaming on a < 24 inch 1920x1080 screen)

This is a very good point. It's essentially Microsoft catching up to what Unix, Linux, and BSD have had for many decades: the isolation of each user's data from each other

 

[Hambeau]

This is a very good point. It's essentially Microsoft catching up to what Unix, Linux, and BSD have had for many decades: the isolation of each user's data from each other

True. I was a Unix Admin when Windows first came out. I thought it strange at the time that users were not properly segregated and could damage each others' files, until I realized that they only had experience with single user systems to that point.

I was also perplexed to see that while "real" multi-user systems such as Unix and Vax gave no permissions to anything other than user directories by default, Windows (and later, Microsoft's Lan product) gave everyone full access by default.

 

[twisto51]

The problem in this case is that the launcher provides no way for you to clean its appdata, no logging to explicitly tell you it is stuff in appdata causing you a problem, and no uninstall script to clean itself up completely.

The problem for a lot of people today is that it caches mods in appdata to update/populate packs in the ftb install directory and when the problem is in that mod cache no amount of fiddling in the install directory is going to fix it.

Get ready for lots of posts about duplicate mods errors and people who think they've blown away ftb and reinstalled only to get the exact same problem because they didn't also clear out the appdata/ftblauncher directory.

 

[Ashzification]

Why is it located here?

Because Windows and Minecraft.

 

[DozensOfGreenDogs]

Hey, Would;
set APPDATA=D:\ftblauncher
D:\Minecraft\FeedTheBeast


Work?

 

[Hambeau]

Hey, Would;
set APPDATA=D:\ftblauncher
D:\Minecraft\FeedTheBeast


Work?

If you do that you are likely to break most other applications you've installed, especially things like Office, Visual Studio, and most other software that cost a pretty penny because they tend to adhere to Microsoft's default standards.

You can, if you are savvy enough, specify any directory to install the downloaded pack into and the installation will build the link to load from the specified place without messing with pre-existing installations.

 

[Beeze23]

Hey, Would;
set APPDATA=D:\ftblauncher
D:\Minecraft\FeedTheBeast

Work?

That's likely to create a mess . Minecraft isn't the only thing using AppData.

Better to use a symbolic link. How-to for Windows and Vanilla Minecraft:

1. Set Windows Explorer to show hidden files

2. Browse to C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming
*Substitute your windows login name for {username}

3. Move (or cut/paste) the .minecraft folder somewhere useful. For me this is just the root of my Games drive (E:\)

4. Command prompt funtimes:
mklink /j C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\.minecraft E:\.minecraft
*And again, remember to put your real username in and wherever you pasted the .minecraft folder to.

Test it by trying to browse to the folder via the C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming in Explorer.

*Tip: when you're shuffling the folder in Explorer, you can right-click the address bar at the top and use "copy address as text," which you can then paste into command prompt to save a bit of typing.

 

[Hambeau]

This is a very good point. It's essentially Microsoft catching up to what Unix, Linux, and BSD have had for many decades: the isolation of each user's data from each other

Except Linux and BSD have only really been around since the 90's, having had to wait for powerful enough micro-processors. Unix (both ATT and Berkely versions) has been around since the 70's, having been developed on "Big Iron" (mainframe and mini computers).

 

[ratchet freak]

2. Browse to C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming
*Substitute your windows login name for {username}

or to %APPDATA% is you don't know your windows login

 

[asb3pe]

Having a program install itself under /appdata, which is a hidden folder that only people with a good deal of computer knowledge would be able to access... it's just a horrible idea... I wonder who came up with that one, MOJANG...

They made a great game, but I still don't think they're the brightest bulbs on the christmas tree.

 

[Hambeau]

Having a program install itself under /appdata, which is a hidden folder that only people with a good deal of computer knowledge would be able to access... it's just a horrible idea... I wonder who came up with that one, MOJANG...

They made a great game, but I still don't think they're the brightest bulbs on the christmas tree.

Microsoft came up with it, BTW, and all Mojang did was to follow the standard set by MS, and following the target OS' standards is generally one of the best programming habits to develop. As I understand it, the only problem caused by not following the standard occurs if you use non-standard Unicode characters in your folder names.

You don't need a great deal of knowledge to use APPDATA... Since it's under your personal home directory you automatically get all access privileges by default and everyone else is blocked except the Administrator account (if you've activated and password protected it). This is the primary reason APPDATA exists anyway... All of your system customizations live there, by the way, such as your Outlook mail databases (if you use Outlook), "favorites" folder if you use IE, etc.

All you need is enough "Search Fu" to google it on line or enough curiosity/interest to buy one of the many books describing the environment of the Windows version you use.