Policy of Transience
a year ago
- #productivity
- #computing-habits
- #organization
- Simon Tatham describes his 'policy of transience' in computer usage, emphasizing deliberate organization or strict temporariness.
- He disables persistent shell history (HISTFILE) to avoid clutter and privacy concerns, preferring to save useful commands in scripts or notes.
- Tatham frequently logs out and reboots machines, avoiding long-running sessions to maintain system cleanliness and organization.
- He avoids keeping browser tabs open long-term, closing them after use to prevent clutter and relying on notes for important URLs.
- Tatham uses a RAM-based tmpfs (~/mem) for temporary files, ensuring they vanish on reboot, promoting a clean workspace.
- He highlights the benefits of transient practices: reducing accidental permanence, improving organization, and enhancing focus.
- Exceptions to his policy include personal email and browser history, which he keeps for sentimental and unpredictable utility.
- Tatham suggests considering similar practices but emphasizes they may not suit everyone, offering them as ideas to reflect on.