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Understanding UNIX Filesystems

Think about your computer's directory structure—the way folder and files are organized throughout the system. If you're familiar with Windows, you probably have an image in mind that involves several disks sitting at the top level of the system—each with a letter assigned to it (C: for your hard disk, D: for your CD-ROM, A: for your floppy drive, and so on). In MS-DOS, the underlying structure beneath the Windows structure, you switch from one disk to another to work with each disk's files. The metaphor is rather like an “orchard” of trees, one tree per disk, but without the individual trees interacting or connecting at all. The Windows operating system itself overlays this structure with a “Desktop” metaphor that ...