Re: A small puzzle.

Message-ID	<6312b2b1@news.ausics.net> (permalink)
From	not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev)
Subject	Re: A small puzzle.
Newsgroups	comp.os.linux.misc
References	<teu5k0$2m0ub$1@dont-email.me>
Date	2022-09-03 11:49 +1000
Organization	Ausics - https://www.ausics.net

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The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> 
> I had installed Linux Mint  on a not very computer literate  friends 
> computer in order primarily to access his bank and investment portfolio 
> and receive and send email.
> 
> When I fired up his machine yesterday, every single icon on the desktop 
> had vanished as had his browser and email configurations.
> 
> After a couple of hours when I had recreated it all, I discovered *what* 
> he had inadvertently done, but I am still not sure *how* he managed to 
> do it.
> 
> Assume any number of random mouse clicks, scroll events, bad eyesight 
> and drag and drops you like.
> 
> What do you think he did?

Rename, move, or delete his home directory?

Or another likely, but easily detectable, cause is running out of
space on the partition where /home is. Then programs that
automatically save their configurations on each run may
delete/truncate the old configuration file before failing to create
the new one, ending up with no configuration at all. That's the
circumstance that I'm more familiar with.

> And how did he do it?

Easy to imagine many ways that someone stumbling around a file
manager could mess up their home directory. But I wouldn't know if
there's some mistake that's particularly easy to make with Mint
because I don't use it.

-- 
__          __
#_ < |\| |< _#

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A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-03 01:03 +0100
  Re: A small puzzle. "25B.Z969" <25B.Z969@noda.net> - 2022-09-02 20:14 -0400
  Re: A small puzzle. not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2022-09-03 11:49 +1000
    Re: A small puzzle. Bobbie Sellers <bliss@mouse-potato.com> - 2022-09-02 21:30 -0700
      Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-03 11:06 +0100
        Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-03 13:59 +0200
          Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-03 13:31 +0100
            Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-03 21:59 +0200
              Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-04 10:05 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-04 13:50 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-04 13:19 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-04 22:17 +0200
      Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-03 14:01 +0200
        Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-03 13:34 +0100
          Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-03 22:02 +0200
            Re: A small puzzle. Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2022-09-03 20:25 +0000
              Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-04 10:23 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-04 13:58 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2022-09-05 09:29 +1000
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-05 00:41 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. Computer Nerd Kev <not@telling.you.invalid> - 2022-09-05 11:41 +1000
                Re: A small puzzle. "25B.Z969" <25B.Z969@noda.net> - 2022-09-05 00:40 -0400
                Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-05 06:49 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. Bobbie Sellers <bliss@mouse-potato.com> - 2022-09-04 23:03 -0700
                Re: A small puzzle. "25B.Z969" <25B.Z969@noda.net> - 2022-09-05 20:00 -0400
                Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-06 12:50 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-06 15:24 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-05 08:28 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-05 10:38 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-05 11:11 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-05 17:54 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-05 17:24 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-05 22:13 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-06 09:04 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2022-09-05 22:27 +0000
                Re: A small puzzle. "25B.Z969" <25B.Z969@noda.net> - 2022-09-05 22:26 -0400
                Re: A small puzzle. "25B.Z969" <25B.Z969@noda.net> - 2022-09-05 19:58 -0400
                Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-05 06:47 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. Computer Nerd Kev <not@telling.you.invalid> - 2022-09-05 17:44 +1000
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-05 09:34 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-05 10:42 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-05 11:15 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-05 18:03 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. Bobbie Sellers <bliss@mouse-potato.com> - 2022-09-05 09:43 -0700
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-05 19:25 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-06 08:12 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-06 09:07 +0100
                Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-05 15:11 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2022-09-06 08:34 +1000
                Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-05 15:22 +0200
            Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-04 10:16 +0100
              Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-04 14:04 +0200
                Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-04 13:26 +0100
              Re: A small puzzle. Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2022-09-04 13:23 +0000
    Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-03 10:56 +0100
    Re: A small puzzle. Fritz Wuehler <fritz@spamexpire-202209.rodent.frell.theremailer.net> - 2022-09-04 17:17 +0200
  Re: A small puzzle. Joerg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.ch> - 2022-09-03 09:11 +0200
    Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-03 11:19 +0100
      Re: A small puzzle. Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2022-09-03 16:13 +0000
        Re: A small puzzle. The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2022-09-04 10:04 +0100
          Re: A small puzzle. "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2022-09-04 14:06 +0200

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