Python override Windows HOME for user data

[Alexpux]

For the continue of #7619 I have idea to override Windows HOME folder for user data.
Possible values are:

• /mingw{32,64}/home/$USER>
• /mingw64/home-python-pip-$USER

I want to hear what Python users think about it? It can solve problem with co-existing with official Python installations and do Mingw python some more possibilies to relocate when move folder to other PC.

[lazka]

I assume this is for pip install --user aka the user install scheme? Why not use the unix variant "~/.local/..." and encode MSYSTEM there?

[naveen521kk]

I think it uses Linux variant there.

$ python -m site --user-base
C:\Users\User/.local

While MSYSTEM is something which isn't enoded though.

[mingwandroid]

We are concerned about users wishing to coinstall various pythons and not having them conflict.. now given we adopt fhs layout for ours that may not be such a problem but we might also want to consider avoiding conflicts with e.g. cygwin python or msys2 python.

[mingwandroid]

We would hard-code the Python implementation's idea of what MSYSTEM should be too I guess, for people avoiding running via bash.

[Alexpux]

My idea also that Python will work with its own home even if it using not from MSYS2 shell

[naveen521kk]

This idea looks like #7564

[mingwandroid]

.. kinda, but not about TEMP (which is about the arbitrary stuff) but about site-packages (which touches on ABI compatibility)

[mingwandroid]

I'm liking the discussions thing btw! It's really good to get an official discussion and record of our thoughts and plans before we commence work!

[naveen521kk]

Also, the below code which currently returns, Windows Home, should return msys2 home.

>>> os.path.expanduser('~')
'C:\\Users\\User'

[Alexpux]

Well I think we MUST not use MSYS2 home for MINGW packages. For mingw programs ROOT is ${MINGW_PREFIX}

[mingwandroid]

Let's try to keep HOME as a separate concern from where MSYS2/mingw-w64 python stores its local site-packages. I am somewhat inclined to agree with @lazka's idea of keeping it in $HOME/.local/<HARDCODED_IN_PYTHON_EXE_SUBSYSTEM_NAME> (then what we do about $HOME, we decide separately).

[naveen521kk]

Well I think we MUST not use MSYS2 home for MINGW packages. For mingw programs ROOT is ${MINGW_PREFIX}

I am sorry, I am quite new to this. But I meant exactly the same as you told, ie: C:\msys64\home\User
No wait am I confused.

[mingwandroid]

I know I said I'd keep it separate, but thinking out loud, I think I'd like mingw32 and mingw64 home to be controllable same as MSYS2's home in /etc/nsswitch.conf

[mingwandroid]

@naveen521kk check /etc/nsswitch, it's variable. I set my HOMEs all to the Windows dir FWIW, always have done.