hey everyone! im still a linux baby (about 1 month) and im just asking a general question about linux, not really technical. I would like somebody to explain to me linux's file/folder structure.

See im coming from a windows world and in windows world everything is spelled out for u .. not so much in linux!

For example ...C:\WINDOWS\system32 (system files) or C:\Program Files (program files duh!) and so forth .. can anyone explain to me all this /etc, /usr, /var, and everything else ?? Where should i install new programs ? and where can i find existing programs ??

thanks!

This is a good place to start:

http://www.comptechdoc.org/os/linux/...ilestruct.html

use:

http://www.google.com/linux

KC

A simple Google search resulted in the following:

http://www.freeos.com/articles/3102/

An LQ Search

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...&highlight=FHS

Should be more than enough info there.

hey thanks a lot guys! didnt know google had a linux section

thanks again!

Here is the link to the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard.

That's funny. I started using Linux because I was unable to find proper documentation how Windows works.
Google is good and there are tons of tutorials on the internet. However, often a Linux question can be answered simply by looking at man pages. In your case, man hier.

yah im not surprised at that! Once i understand how this OS is laid out its time for getting it to work the way i need it to work .. like getting a really good music player, and trying to get msn messenger to work with some program called "wine". Thats why i asked where i should install programs cuz i dont like a messy operating system. My XP is spic and span .. organized to the max!!

Why would you use that busted POS, MSN Messenger? Gaim will connect to all the popular messaging systems including MSN, simultainiously and comes preinstalled with most distributions. You can talk with everyone in one window or break them up. Life is too short to run MS software on Linux: live a little and toss your MS habit. If there is not a native Linux package for it, you do not really need it.

Open Gaim, and go to Accounts > Add Account. Click the drop down menu for Protocol, and select MSN. Enter your name and PW, and you are good to go.

Good luck.

C

i dont see how messenger is busted, but i tried GAIM and aMSN ... both of em dont have an appealing UI (in my opinion). In fact aMSN is probably the ugliest thing ive ever seen since windows messenger. Messenger 8 beta looks really nice so thats what im gonna try to run .. remember its just my opinion after trying gaim and amsn and kopete (kopete is the best out of the 3). Im not knocking them for functionality. MSN Messenger is just better for me.

thanks for the tip though

My advice: If you gotta run MSN, run it on Windows. Maybe I'm just grouchy, but I can't understand why the first program new Linux users want to run is a Windows emulator. Don't you have dual boot?

yah i understand your mind boggling question but you have to see that people coming from windows world arent gonna cut off windows completely. We're so used to it that Linux is still foriegn to us. Its a gradual procession into Linux, which is why we need to run some windows programs in linux. Linux converts will never go cold turkey on windows .. i think its impossible for a newbie to do that. So whether Messenger is or isnt busted .. windows ppl dont care cuz thats what we're used to and Linux converts will be happy (unless they find something better and get used to that) ..until then its msn messenger

Edit: oh and yes i do have dual boot but i like working in linux ..and if i can get a familiar program to work in it im happy

Not true. When I went Linux, I never used a Windows program again. No dual boot, no FAT partition, no NTFS partition, no SAMBA, no Wine. There's nothing I need to do that can't be done with Linux. Often times better. So, yeah, I went cold-turkey on Windows.

You have to assess your needs and wants. If Linux satisfies those needs and wants, then use Linux. If Windows satisfies them, use Windows. At least you have something you didn't have before...choice.