Basic Terminologies and Principles used in Linux

Linux is a totally new type of operating system when it comes to principles.Some astonishing principles of a common Linux system is that it treats everything as a file.Each piece of hardware connected to the Linux system is maintained and referred as file.The /dev directory holds such types of device related files.


Here are some common Linux directories with their explanations:-
/ The main directory called root.It holds the actual Linux program as well as sub-directories.It can be compared as C: drive in Windows.
/home
This directory holds the users' home directories.It can be treated as Documents and Settings in Windows.
/bin
It stands for binaries.It holds the executable files for Linux programs.Compare to C:/Program Files
/usr
It holds many other user-oriented directories like man directory which holds manual entries for commands which can be accessed by typing 'man <command> without the <>.
/usr/bin
It holds user-oriented Linux programs.
/usr/spool
This directory holds spool files for printing as well as mail.uucp directory holds files copied between Linux computers.
/dev
As said earlier,Linux treats everything as file.The /dev holds devices.There are special files that serve as gateways to physical computer components.
/usr/sbin
This directory holds system administration files which all acts as specific commands.
/sbin
It holds system files that are usually run automatically by the Linux system.
/etc
This directory and its sub-directories holds many Linux configuration files.Compare to Windows Registry.
/lib
This directory holds shared library files ending with extension *.so.* Compare to C:\Windows\ directory in Windows system.


Remember man pages are a great help for beginners.