[Iss Mneur]

Maybe...

The problem comes down to how does wxLauncher know where to find this config file?  The config file that tells it where to find stuff like its config files?  This is chicken and egg sort of stuff.

Two "eggs" that an application always gets are its compile options and its commandline which is why it almost always implemented as one of those two options.

[jr2]

Have it always search the working directory, and have that config file able to point to another config file if you don't want the config file there.  You could also use the registry but that's not cross-platform friendly.

I wish OSX and Linux could use the filesystem as a substitute for Windows registry entries.  e.g., <current dir>/HKLM or HKCU/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Uninstall.reg  Just have Uninstall.reg contain all necessary values and have it compatible with Windows registry editor, so you can use that to import/export/edit/ yada..

[Nuke]

id say place a file that only contains paths to other files/directories in the standard location (for example %APPDATA%\fspaths.cfg). then you can configure these paths in the launcher or use defaults (for example my games\fs2). then the actual settings/application/mods directories can be placed anywhere. though id default them to my games\fs2open\settings, program files\games\freespace 2\, and my games\fs2open\mods, respectively. you might want to install the launcher and the fs2open engine in different places, though, id prefer to keep stuff in as few places as possible, for ease of backup.

[Kazan]

just for the record the secure file protections system (the stuff that keeps you from ****ing up OS files) works on the basis of an include list not a "everything on this drive!" semantic.

(i would know.. being that i have to turn off it protecting files when i install private binaries at work)