Looking in the file browser at /dev in the left pane, many of the devices listed in the right pane have red X's in front of them, others have downward-right sloping arrows in front, and other icons in front of others. Where can I find a list of what these symbols mean?

What "gui" (KDE, Gnome, etc) are you using and what file browser (Konqueror, Epiphany, etc)? Distribution probably wouldn't hurt either...

Ubuntu 6.06, gnome, clicking on Places/Computer brings up Nautilus 2.14.3

If Nautilus is anything like Konqueror, that means that the device is actually a symbolic link.

I don't know what you're talking about with the red Xs. Why are you looking in /dev anyway?

I'm not certain without seeing it, but the x might be meaning you don't have write access to the file, which would make sense for your regular user in the /dev directory. (/dev is the directory that represents all the hardware on your computer) I'm not aware of a site giving descriptions of what things mean, though I'd be surprised if it doesn't exist somewhere on the net.

Me too. I have googled this until I am cross-eyed, but have yet to find one good ref.

The write access denial sounds like a good possibility. When I get to my linux machine, will go as administrator and see if any different.

Its total denial, all read, write and execute for the user.

That makes sense. However the red X's are in front of hardware devices, among others, that are in use and accessible by me, e.g., hda (harddisk). I can read, write and execute files on hda, so how does the denial apply?

It means you cannot write to that file. In this case, the file would be /dev/hda.

Please recognize that my understanding is a very low level in this. If I can read and write files on/to hda, what is it that I am denied?

In linux everything is treated as a file, including hardware. So you have write access to /dev/hda1, but /dev/hda is in use by /dev/hda1 and locked so you can't actually write to the file /dev/hda, which represents your entire hard drive. I'm not sure you can actually write to the file /dev/hda1 either, since it is in use by the file that is the mount point (for example the / of the file tree).

Sorry if this is all confusing. But basically what you have to understand is that EVERYTHING in linux is treated as a file and therefore has permissions and locks based on how it is in use.

That actually makes perfect sense-very clearly written. Thank you for taking the time to walk me through this.

Yes, linux demands a much greater understanding of what is actually happening "under the hood" compared to "Brand X", but I am very favourably impressed with the precision, predictability (at least of that which one does understand), and industrial strength.

As an aside from nothing, at 23:25 last night, our current ice storm knocked out the electricity. The UPS's did their job and I was able to close down my Linux computer quickly and predictably. My Windoze computer decided it was a good time to install 2 updates (which of course there is no safe way to interrupt) and over the next 35 minutes, got one of the two done, drained the UPS and died in the middle of the second update. Arrrrgh!

I can't become 100% Linux quickly enough!

Ice storms? Where do you live? I'd love to have one of those in my city

You may find this hard to believe, but about 40 miles north west of San Antonio, TX. We are out in the country and our driveway slopes upward to the road. No way up it on 2 inches of ice, so we are holed up waiting for the ice to melt. It was kind of like a forced holiday until the electricity (which keeps the heat in the pump house on and the pipes from freezing, plus the pump for the in-house water) went out. Then not fun! Fortunately we are online again, also facilitating our Internet contact with the outside world.

Believe me, you don't want this kind of ice!