# Ubuntu to rename top level directories?



## praka123 (Apr 2, 2008)

*Ubuntu to rename top level directories*

The usability experts of Ubuntu have finally started to handle the single most mentioned usability issue with Linux: the top level directory names.

Quoting Finn C. Tional from the Ubuntu Usability Group: 
It's one of the mysteries of Unix that the directory named "usr" is not for user data, and the directory named "etc" while looking like random stuff thrown together stores all the important config files. 

This is probably the single most confusing hurdle for new Unix users. 

 We need to finally tackle this, before people are too used to these odd directory names.​Therefore, they propose the following renaming scheme:

```
/bin      /system/executables
/boot     /system/boot
/dev      /system/devices
/etc      /system/config
/lib      /system/libraries
/home     /users
/media    /storage
/mnt      /storage
/proc     /system/processes
/root     /users/Administrator
/sbin     /system/executables/admin
/tmp      /system/temporary
/usr      /system/applications
```

They'll include a patch for the GNU C library as well as for AppArmor to redirect the old path names to the new ones. Given the existing filename matching already done by AppArmor the overhead is expected to be neglible at least for AppArmor enabled systems. 

SELinux enabled systems will remain unchanged, since the user won't be allowed to see anything potentially irritating in the root directory anyway, but will be confined to his user directory.
Since there are a dozen applications that will need changes to accomodate the new naming scheme, expect these changes only to be included with Ubuntu 10.4 (also lovingly named Ubuntu X) scheduled for April 2010.

Other distributions are expected to follow up with these changes in 2011.

P.S. Yeah, the Ubuntu folks really need to think this throuh some more. Russel pointed out that "My System" is even easier to understand; after all this is not about someone elses system or some systematic error or whatever. I figure he's right. How about "My Computer" than this lowercase (pessimistic?) "system" directory they're proposing there! 

*blog.drinsama.de/erich/en/linux/debian/2008040101-renaming-directories.html

I hate this changes


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## mehulved (Apr 2, 2008)

praka123 said:


> I hate this changes


 Why? Changes are good. We have to move on with time.


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## CadCrazy (Apr 2, 2008)

He usually hate Ubuntu.


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## praka123 (Apr 2, 2008)

^how u know? 

'coz I am so accustomed with normal / file system names


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## amitava82 (Apr 2, 2008)

I believe these schemes makes more sense to new as well as average users..


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## Garbage (Apr 2, 2008)

nice changes !!! I would like to see them soon !


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## CadCrazy (Apr 2, 2008)

praka123 said:


> ^how u know?



Are hum to udti chiriya ke par gin lete hai 



Garbage said:


> nice changes !!! I would like to see them soon !


soon 



praka123 said:


> Since there are a dozen applications that will need changes to accomodate the new naming scheme, expect these changes only to be included with *Ubuntu 10.4 (also lovingly named Ubuntu X) scheduled for April 2010.*





praka123 said:


> Other distributions are expected to follow up with these changes in 2011.



Only Ubuntu Based distros or every GNU/Linux distros ?


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## Faun (Apr 2, 2008)

i wish it confines itself to Ubuntu only, i dont wanna see this change in other distros.


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## Rahim (Apr 2, 2008)

Is Ubuntu flexing its muscles?


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## abhinandh (Apr 2, 2008)

If this happens i'am definitely gonna delete a partition named "ubuntu" from my HDD.
I was used to the old names since years and i like 'em the way they are.


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## ray|raven (Apr 2, 2008)

^Me too. My guess is Ubuntu's trying to move away from _just-another-distro_
to a-complete-os.

IMO, not many distros are gonna change with Ubuntu.


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## mehulved (Apr 2, 2008)

Why are people afraid of changes?
Also, it's quite possible that initially it will only be a cosmetic change. The actual change will come gradually. 
HINT:- Gobolinux.


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## FilledVoid (Apr 2, 2008)

Question : At the moment if Im right we can install Debian packages on Ubuntu without alot of problems. Once the naming structure changes won't this impact that?


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## ray|raven (Apr 2, 2008)

^It will.But maybe they will maintain symlinks with original directory names to keep compatibility.

Still, this is a long way away, Ubuntu 10.4 means 2010.
No need to worry now


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## MetalheadGautham (Apr 2, 2008)

When these changes are reflected, I guess its time to make the switch to something else.
We have had a common standard for too long to make any changes.
One simple hour of study will tell you what each directory means and contains.
This is crazy.

If they _Really_ want to change these directory paths, they can make virtual locations and include a top level "ubuntu" directory containing these. So the root directory will be in /Ubuntu/Users/Administrator, and so on.

This move may very well make Ubuntu a non linux distro, with(hopefully) lots of eye-candy by default and easy to install apps, but no "hardcore linux" stuff. Perhaps Canonical is trying to make a custom OS that competes with Macintosh and Windows in the non-geek mainstream market. But they better not sell this as "Linux". Let 'em call it Ubuntu OS and I will allow them to get away with it.


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## NucleusKore (Apr 2, 2008)

I don't like these changes, look's odd.


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## praka123 (Apr 2, 2008)

^yes!cannonical want to make "ubuntu" stand  "different" among GNU/Linux distros...they may be having some plans to make Ubuntu to be sold the way OS X is!(full support of multimedia etc etc and licensing-remember redhat Desktop Linux)

it is a complete BS to leave from traditional sysV directories 

instead,one thing all distros must shift is,from sysVinit to Upstart.
indeed fedora is switching with fc9,hope suse,Debian(on experimental) will switch to it.


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## DigitalDude (Apr 2, 2008)

wow great changes for ubuntu.. will help a lot of people who are not into linux make some sense of the directories....

but it wont get into other distros as many people are very much accustomed with the current directory names... mainly the server OS distros.... the major reason being its easy to type short names in SSH lol I cant type users/Administrator it will take forever in SSH  thank god there is copy paste 



_


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## mehulved (Apr 2, 2008)

Type names in ssh? Can you please explain, I didn't get you.


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## gary4gar (Apr 2, 2008)

If all major Linux distros change along then its good else, its worst.


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## anarchist (Apr 2, 2008)

good move - for normal users. too many directories in root (with odd names) was confusing. i wish these changes come soon.


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## Rahim (Apr 2, 2008)

To be honest a normal user like me wont care about the confusing names as you can do whatever in your home folder.
A geek is another matter altogether


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## vista__n00b (Apr 2, 2008)

I really don't understand why people are so against this new naming scheme. Its not like Ubuntu is reinventing the wheel or changing something so dramatic that everything will become chaos and fall apart.

People who are saying that "I was used to old ways so it should stay the way it is" are giving the exact same excuse that Windows users gave when they were shown a free operating system which could do most of their daily tasks. You people should be happy that a major distro is coming ahead and is trying to make this hideousness (naming scheme) into something right. In the end if you people don't like it then all you have to do is to make soft links to your original directories...is that too hard?

Its just a simple naming scheme guys...take a control of your emotions


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## hullap (Apr 2, 2008)

vista__n00b said:


> I really don't understand why people are so against this new naming scheme. Its not like Ubuntu is reinventing the wheel or changing something so dramatic that everything will become chaos and fall apart.
> 
> People who are saying that "I was used to old ways so it should stay the way it is" are giving the exact same excuse that Windows users gave when they were shown a free operating system which could do most of their daily tasks. You people should be happy that a major distro is coming ahead and is trying to make this hideousness (naming scheme) into something right. In the end if you people don't like it then all you have to do is to make soft links to your original directories...is that too hard?
> 
> Its just a simple naming scheme guys...take a control of your emotions


+1000000000000000000

BUT i also agree with Rahim,


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## Krazy_About_Technology (Apr 2, 2008)

Although the new structure is a little easier to read and understand without reading manuals, it can be confusing for long time users who are used to previous system, plus it could introduce compatibility problems with older apps. In my openion, the symlinks for new names idea would be great for now.


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## praka123 (Apr 2, 2008)

doesnot gonna affect me though  
_I will be a Debian user for coming years too;may be add gentoo and archlinux too! _


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## FilledVoid (Apr 2, 2008)

Personally I don't mind as long as Ubuntu doesn't become a trendsetter for other distros  . A company with a questionable QA practice becoming a trendsetter is like a disaster waiting to happen.


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## mediator (Apr 2, 2008)

Nah, I don't think it will become a trendsetter. The default permission system in Ubuntu is pathetic. Its ok for noobies and emigrants from the windows world. It seems they r making it look more windowish like over the time. I guess the change wud be almost transparent for the noob users neways who r chained to the home directory. But I hope it is not aimed for servers. Hell, we'll have to operate on "/system/config/named.conf" for DNSs instead of simple "etc" ones?? That wud be quite tedious.


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## praka123 (Apr 3, 2008)

Ubuntu is trying to differentiate it from other distros.let it do that!

BTW,this aint gonna make other distros follow !


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## Nimda (Apr 3, 2008)

I hope other distros don't follow suit. I, personally, am quite a regular user of the CLI (even when I can do things in a "gooey" manner - yeah call me a crazy if u want to, but CLI is better).

Typing all those long pathnames will really be a turn off.


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## DigitalDude (Apr 3, 2008)

mehulved said:


> Type names in ssh? Can you please explain, I didn't get you.


sorry I was blunt...

I was talking about managing my server through SSH terminal 
cos of the latency its annoying to type long stuff 




_


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## mehulved (Apr 3, 2008)

Use bash completion. Why was that created? 
I always have a screen session running at home with irssi, elinks and mutt running within it. I ssh in from work or elsewhere attach the screen session and do my chatting, check mails, configure my systems. I find bash completion really helpful then. But, I still don't see why would new path names be a problem for ssh connections too, even with higher latencies.


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## DigitalDude (Apr 4, 2008)

^^^^
I just use putty and do some small tasks occasionally on the server... for the major stuff there is lxadmin control panel  dont want to install stuff that I'm not familiar with and screw it off 

I feel the latency is annoying.. typing and seeing the text after sometime is in the SSH window is awkward for me 

but the server hosted in singapore used to have less latency like around 50ms which is gr8... but suddenly 2 months ago I was getting more ping in sg servers than the ones in US... I did watever I can but helpless.. airtel ppl say its prob with DNS... the datacenter ppl say its problem with ISP routing.. I went mad and finally cancelled the sg server  now all I have is US servers with 400ms+ latencies 


_


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## mediator (Apr 4, 2008)

Even so, but the bash completion doesn't work with shell scripts, crons, editing confs etc. U can use copy/paste though, but it certainly becomes tedious. May be thats why they have '/etc/named.conf' as a shortcut pointing towards the actual  '/var/named/chroot/etc/named.conf' , I dunno. But I prefer the etc (former) one. Its the same situation, where we use 'ping SITE' instead of writing the complete path '/bin/ping SITE'. But neways thats their philosophy......Noob friendliness.


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## nach p (Apr 8, 2008)

it looks more systamatic though it will take bit time 2 get accustomed.
but is it really required !!


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