"And why on Earth would someone think he has the One True Way of storing configuration in a file?"
There is no One True Way. Only a bunch of good ways, a bunch of bad ways, and a bunch of sorta-ok ways. Just because there isn't one amazing way that is obviously the best, it doesn't mean that the alternative is for everyone to use different, incompatible formats.
"I see nothing wrong in each program storing configuration data in the most convenient way for them."
Clearly you've never had to administer systems before. Or, if you have, you're so used to it at this point, you don't remember what it was like when you were starting.
I would much prefer to only have to understand and remember a single config file format and save my time and effort for things that actually matter.
But yes, I'm a hypocrite: I designed and implemented Xfce 4.6's configuration storage system... yet another incompatible format.
There is no One True Way. Only a bunch of good ways, a bunch of bad ways, and a bunch of sorta-ok ways. Just because there isn't one amazing way that is obviously the best, it doesn't mean that the alternative is for everyone to use different, incompatible formats.
"I see nothing wrong in each program storing configuration data in the most convenient way for them."
Clearly you've never had to administer systems before. Or, if you have, you're so used to it at this point, you don't remember what it was like when you were starting.
I would much prefer to only have to understand and remember a single config file format and save my time and effort for things that actually matter.
But yes, I'm a hypocrite: I designed and implemented Xfce 4.6's configuration storage system... yet another incompatible format.