[DUG] Anyone need XP Pro?

[John Bird]

Vista:

I have not actually worked day to day yet in Vista, but two things I see
about it I am all in favour of.

1 - UAC - as a long time Unix user used to running as a non admin (root)
user I just got used to setting up data folders and ownerships and
permissions.  It's a necessary "evil" that is not so hard and best to just
do it and get used to how the OS wants to protect itself and you.  Its
always a good programming practice to be able separate programs and settings
files and data files anyway, from what I have found if you have well
specified folders for eg settings then you have maybe just one folder to
make sure you have the approriate write permissions to.

2 - From what I have seen of the Vista folder structures they are a lot
flatter and more easy to find than XP - the huge tree under "Documents and
Settings" I find really obscure and seems to me an exercise in creating
security by making it really hard to find where the actual important files
are likely to be.   In fact I got the impression that someone at Microsoft
said "OK lets finally admit that something like the Unix folder structure
makes more sense".  Have a Users folder, with usernames under that, and
under each user folder folders for pictures and documents etc - guess where
that comes from.

However the Windows permissions and folder structures are much more complex
and arbitrary to my mind than the logical structures on Unix.  I think
that's one of the reasons almost no-one outside of Microsoft got comfortable
with them.

So far I create my own folder structures all under my own folder (which is
NOT under Program Files) so I can set the permissions on these without
upsetting anything else.

However it would be tidier to follow the conventions - its usually easier to
swim with the stream than against it!

Question:

I remember once coming across a Delphi unit that can return all the Windows
folder settings for almost everything (temp files, program files, Windows
folder, Start menu user, Start menu all users, etc etc).  Can't find it!
Does anyone know of a version that gives the locations for all common
versions (98, 2000, XP and Vista)?  That would be an excellent level of
abstraction to add to any program.

Anyone have or know of such a unit/utility/component?

John