Stay organized with subdirectories and links

You wouldn't keep all your papers in one folder in your file cabinet so don't do the same thing with your computer files. Directories and subdirectories can be thought of as folders and your home directory is the file cabinet.

Directory, subdirectory, and parent directory are relative terms. Directory usually refers to the one you're in (i.e. dot), subdirectory refers to a directory within the one your in and can be thought of as a child directory, and parent directory (i.e. dot dot) refers to the directory in which the current one is contained.

The root directory is / and you shouldn't ever need to go there.

Use pwd to find out the absolute path to the current directory. You can use dot and dot dot to avoid typing in long names.

Links are created using ln and are more or less short cuts to a real directory.

Some common subdirectories within your home directory might include:

./bin to store binary executables

~/src to store source programs

./tmp to store trash

~/.netscape to store trash

./thesis to get on with your life

~/shells to store your scripts Eventually you'll have subdirectories of subdirectories of subdirectories. If you don't, then you're probably one of those people who can't find their phone because it is buried under a pile of paper.