Exploring the JDS Linux Desktop

Accessing Directories (Folders)

The final topic in our discussion of the basics of the JDS deals with accessing directories, which many people also call folders.

JDS runs on top of Linux and uses the conventions of the Linux Operating System. As with most operating systems, all files and directories are arranged in a hierarchy. Forward slashes are used to separate names as you go down the treelike hierarchy. Thus, the name /home/tom/documents means “the directory documents under the directory tom under the directory home.”

Unlike other systems, which provide a separate hierarchy for each disk drive (hard drive), Linux provides a single hierarchy that includes every drive and partition. We call the topmost directory of the directory tree the root directory, which is written as just a forward slash (/). All directories and files are below this root directory.

When you log in to Linux, the system places you in a special directory, known as your home directory. Each user has a distinct home directory, where the user creates personal files. This makes it simple for the user to find files previously created, because they are isolated from the files of other users.

Figure 2-21 shows a typical portion of a JDS file hierarchy. Notice the box called “home.” This box represents the area within the Linux directory structure in which a user’s home directory exists. So the home directory for user tom is /home/tom. If the user has a file in his Documents directory, in the subdirectory text, we ...