You’re a RealAudio user. I’m a RealAudio user. We get all our Internet streaming stations set up just right in “Favorites”, and all your links to your buddy’s (or your) rock band in your “Recent” list, and you just want it to stay that way. I know, I’ve been there…
But, it happens; You set a machine up, start using it, and then a few months later, you want to do a fresh re-install. Or, you would like your settings to be the same for the root user as they are for your regular user. And so on….
Here’s the deal – Linux has, so far, resisted the dominant use of a “registry” like another famous operating system (though it seems to get closer each day). So, you’re in luck. Almost all of your Linux-specific profile-based application settings are stored in files in your home directory, e.g. /home/jpavlov.
For a closer look, type this: ls -al /home/username
Notice all the filenames and directories starting with a period/dot? The leading dot is old-school Linux for “hidden” files (the “a” in the command above exposed the so-called hidden files). Those files are the very files that your applications need to load your personal settings, and they are quite portable.
So, back to the point of this post, you now know that hidden in the root of your home directory, you have found your RealAudio config file, likely named “.realplayerrc“. And all you need to do to have RealAudio bliss as a different user, is to copy it to the root of the home directory for that user, *and* change the ownership of the new copy to that different user with the following command: chown newuser .realplayerrc
That’s how easy it is. Now wait until they pull it all into a registry. I prefer the files!
😉