[bee_rider]

It really depends on the system. In Linux for example it is pretty conventional to ask. But, the asking is often done by querying some environment variables.

If a program prompts the user for a directory instead of querying the appropriate environment variable, that is a violation of the stated user preference.

[IAmBroom]

Huh? How is "the appropriate environment variable" the "stated user preference"?

[bee_rider]

Setting environment variables is how we state our preferences.

[IAmBroom]

So, a user explicitly choosing a path for software P to be different from software suites A-O is somehow not choosing a preference?

And this "we" you speak of... 1% of users? 0.1%?