And why does Linux not have a registry? Linux follows the UNIX tradition of having system-wide .conf files in the /etc directory. Those .conf files are human-r

And why does Linux not have a registry? Linux follows the UNIX tradition of having system-wide .conf files in the /etc directory. Those .conf files are human-readable and editable by almost any text-editor. Most user-specific config files are placed in the user's home directory - sometimes as 'hidden' dot-files, sometimes left out on show. Dot-files don't clutter up the home directory, but sometimes you may forget they are there.