I hear lots of folks griping about how crazy the typical Linux file tree is organized, with wierd names like /usr, /var, /etc, but if so many people don''t like it why isn''t there any distros that are doing it different (if there are then I haven''t heard of them)? Is it hard-coded somewhere? Does the kernel REQUIRE that the directory tree be layed out like that? If so then that doesn''t sound like good programming.

I don''t think anyone complains about the layout, its pretty Unix standard. What people do complain about is people not using the standard (not putting apps in /usr/local/bin /usr/local/sbin, etc).

While the kernel doesn''t require it (maybe just the /proc directory), so much software is coded to use certain directories it would probably be a nightmare to change without issues.

But why change it? *grin*

Int.

Well, I was just reading this and wondered why no one ever actually did the /users, /hardware, /servers thing.

The kernel assumes /proc, and there is devfs that assumes /dev. I assume that linux assumes init is in /sbin.

It''s pretty common for apps to have compile-time coded paths in them, which are typically adjustable using configure. There is also a standard for config files, which is to search ~/.apprc and then /etc/app.conf or /etc/app.rc.

Not that the filesystem is really that crazy in general.

you don´t even need to name the directories /usr, /bin, /yaddayadda, i read that somewhere, though.
i think where the stuff is located is in the configuration files, sorry if doesn´t helps a lot...

There is NO motivation to do it any differently.

Nobody wants it.

I just moved /home to /users and created a symblink called /home to /users and it works fine, so that guy''s idea is completely possible.

My friend Ordinary Joe said he''d like clear readable directory names better than /usr and /var and /etc. My other friend Nix Zealot said /usr and /var and /etc are just fine. I say to each his own.

Hey that is a pretty cool article there.

I''ve also wondered about the Unix hier. When I first looked in Unix one of the big things going around was massive file names with any character but the ''/''. And then one day I install FreeBSD and I see files like /tmp and /dev. What gives? Where''s the full usage of all those characters and stuff? What about /Temp..or Tempory-Files? and /Devices? But I soon cam to relise that it''s more Unix philosphy to keep it simple stupid. Small and short programs and everything else.

Anyways, Some of you might not know this but a /dev file or dir is required by the Single UNIX stantard.

Another thing, as along as your Shells enviorment path settings were set correctly you could have /System/Programs/ and /Daemons/ and /Systems/Libaries and such.

Actully I might try this some time.