Comments on: Mac OS X Directory Structure explained

By: Abhishek

Abhishek — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:14:01 +0000

i have a /home directory, inside that i am not able to create a directory using even “root” user any clue ?.

By: Struktura katalogów MacOs X « SheepLogic Blog

Struktura katalogów MacOs X « SheepLogic Blog — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:35:32 +0000

[...] tak to wklep w terminalu polecenie # man hier. Znalazłem też ciekawy artykuł na ten temat w sieci (polecam przeczytanie komentarzy). Kategorie:Uncategorized Komentarze (0) Trackbacki (0) [...]

By: OS 10.4 - Junk Files In System Folder/Library Folder - Mac-Forums.com

OS 10.4 - Junk Files In System Folder/Library Folder - Mac-Forums.com — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:36:08 +0000

[...] This would be a good start for understanding the directory structure in OS X. If you want your machine to run optimally, use a tool designed for that. There is no need to risk damage by manually manipulating files in directories that you are completely unfamiliar with. I consider myself fairly proficient with OS X for example but I would never manipulate the files in /System by hand. __________________ Upgrading to Snow Leopard FAQ : Incompatible Software for Snow Leopard : 64-bit and Snow Leopard – What 64-bit means for you Website : Twitter M-F MotM – April 2009. [...]

By: I threw Out java on accident - Mac-Forums.com

I threw Out java on accident - Mac-Forums.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:01:54 +0000

[...] directory or your machine wouldn’t be working (if it was, it wouldn’t be working very well). See here for an explanation for the directories on your Mac. Note the description for /System: "System [...]

By: Alexander Orlov

Alexander Orlov — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:51:15 +0000

“ls -lash /” shows me a “/home” folder on my Mac OS X.5. Is this a system created resp. for the system relevant folder or is it a folder I’ve created myself accidentally as I’m (or was a long-term Linux user?

Would be nice of you guys to type “ls -lash /” and tell me if you have also a “/home” folder on your system.

By: midilogic

midilogic — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:54:35 +0000

Hi,

Does /Users/$User/Desktop exist in any Mac OS 10.x, 9.x, etc.

Thx

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:49:19 +0000

> Where can I find /Applications /etc /Network? are these files deletable? If
> they are, how can I delete them? and how will this affect the OS?

In Finder, Go… Go to Folder and type /Applications or whatever folder you want to get to (shift-command-g for keyboard shortcut people).

Deleting any hidden files is never a good idea unless you know what you’re doing. Deleting the /etc directory will probably make your computer unbootable at the very least.

Why would you want to delete that in the first place?

By: Angelito Sampang

Angelito Sampang — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:06:59 +0000

Hi,

Where can I find /Applications /etc /Network? are these files deletable? If they are, how can I delete them? and how will this affect the OS?

Thanks

By: Gerhard Leonhartsberger

Gerhard Leonhartsberger — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 12:07:48 +0000

Look at Apple.com to see a high level description.

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man7/hier.7.html#//apple_ref/doc/man/7/hier

By: Sunny Rabbiera

Sunny Rabbiera — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 03:08:21 +0000

[quote]> This lib/local stuff has me confused.

/usr is used for files installed through a package manager, such as MacPorts

/usr/local is used for files installed manually, such as something you have compiled. Putting them in /usr/local keeps them separate from the mess of files stored in /usr so it’s easier to manually remove the files (since there isn’t a package manager to do it for you). [/quote]

Yeh we have the same thing here on linux, that is because both OSX and linux are based on unix one way or another (OSX can be considered more “true” unix though as its based on BSD that is mostly derived from unix, linux however is based more off of minix)
the whole usr/local thing makes perfect sense to me, as we have something pretty much like it here in linux land

By: You

You — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 17:13:49 +0000

> This lib/local stuff has me confused.

/usr is used for files installed through a package manager, such as MacPorts

By: 2omega

2omega — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 22:16:40 +0000

>Now what I never understood is the real difference between /System/Library and />Library….

As U have it understood, /Library holds preferences, fonts, screen savers and the such that are available to all users and not just /Users/auser/Library.
/System/Library is more like services and extensions (similar to os 9) but very different. Thats is my guess.

My question is.. where would one logically install *nix software on OS X. Lets say I want to install Image Magick. Where should I place it? mysql get put into /usr/local/ and php gets put into /usr/lib/. This lib/local stuff has me confused.

By: bongo

bongo — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 12:12:42 +0000

actually, /etc is a symlink to /private/etc, like /tmp and /var are to /private/tmp and /private/var. Furthermore, you should point out that /private/var/log/ contains all the system logs.

Now what I never understood is the real difference between /System/Library and /Library….

By: Ben Hanson

Ben Hanson — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 04:25:46 +0000

/sw is specific to Fink
/opt is common elsewhere, in OS X it probably means you installed DarwinPorts
/private should probably be on the list.

By: Hardy Boys and the Case of the Missing Directory

Hardy Boys and the Case of the Missing Directory — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:36:15 +0000

/private, /sw, /opt

are three more I have that aren’t listed, are they install specific?