The first time you run Bluefish it will create a directory ~/.bluefish where all Bluefish's configuration options are stored. This includes all preferences, customized menus, highlighting-patterns, file history, etc.
Bluefish will work right out of the box, but you can and should take advantage of the many customizations available. Change the font in the main text view if you do not like it, remove unused tool bars, add shortcuts to the customizable menu, and edit the list of browsers and external programs.
If you are upgrading from a previous version, perhaps CVS, you should note that the syntax highlighting may have changed. To make sure you have the latest highlighting patterns, follow the following procedure:
Procedure II.1. Getting the new defaults after upgrading - First method
Exit Bluefish
Delete the highlighting file in your ~/.bluefish directory.
Next time Bluefish is started, the new defaults will be loaded.
Note that this will also annihilate all your changes to the highlighting. Here's a more gentle approach:
Procedure II.2. Getting the new defaults after upgrading - Second method
Exit Bluefish
Move your current highlighting file to highlighting.old
Start Bluefish to get the new patterns
Exit Bluefish
Run diff -c highlighting.old highlighting to find the differences.
If your settings become corrupted, unusable, or you simply want to revert to the defaults, you may safely delete the ~/.bluefish directory.