Comment 81 for bug 382703

+1 actual username (as in: the same name the folder actually has)

Whenever I install ubuntu for a new user; they _always_ ask about this.
So here is my reply:

<<

       Well, there is this folder, where you keep your files.
       It's name is your username. Every user has its folder like that, in a folder called 'home'.

       It's called something differently in a lot of situations.
       Personal files (dutch translation!) in this translated application.
       Home folder in this other non-translated application, eventhough it's not the same folder as 'home'

       You can best just try, and remember visually the places where you click and where they go.
       Expect no consistency.

>>

Here's a rule of thumb.
No folder may have more than one name.

I don't care what the folder is called by default.
But it should be called the same thing:

  - when browsing in the /home folder in nautilus (as any user)
  - in the nautilus crumble bar
  - in the nautilus crumble bar, when on literal mode (control+L)
  - in search-dialogs
  - nautilus sidebar
  - nautilus go-menu
  - terminal commands
  - gtk-open dialogs
  - location-menu
  - non-native file dialogs (like Java apps & wine apps)

So, how did this situation get so messy?
Well, because appearantly, there are people out there, that believe that we should be managing the names of folders in language-packs. They apparently don't know what a filesystem does.

Folders are complicated enough for people to begin with.
And every application and place having a discussion about what their translation should be, isn't helping.

This should be in the HIG: You may never, put a folder name in a translation-file.
If you think other names are more 'usable', go argue to change the default name.
But not in the application's language-packs. The file-system is quite capable of managing the actual name of the folder.

For example, it would a smart idea to rename /media to /devices, so wouldn't need this fake 'this computer' folder.
Try going a level up from a mount. It's doesn't even go back to this fake 'this computer' folder.

It's so confusing. One file-hierarchy to rule them all, please.
With one name per folder. Predictable, consistent.

And yes, maybe the default folder names of things should be changed.
But we should never put that change into applications or language-packs.