lets say i want to create html files for public viewing on my apache server...where do i put them (the html files) so that a person can view them with an internet connection?

Provided you have the webserver running and you have access from the internet, then you have a setting in your httpd.conf file called "Document Root". That setting is where you would put the top layer of files. You can create sub dir's in there of course.

Redhat by default is for root I think in /var/www, you can create it for other users setup on the machine in their own personal /home directories which is really the best place i think.
But like KevinJ said, anywhere you want, it should have a default directory, but you have the freedom to change that.

update
 

The default folder is "var/www/html" for my ubuntu 14.10

This thread is 14 years old...that's gotta be some kind of record.

and I took the bait. :(

And I clicked your link out of curiosity .. and learned something!

Thanks ;)

Then it did not go to waste!