On Wed, 2006-06-14 at 18:11 -0400, Bruce Marshall wrote:
Yeh, I know what a file system is but I'd rather see just a layout of my directory structure. Many new users don't really think in terms of a 'file system'... that's pretty much a 'nix term.
As compared to what "term"? First off, you are either assuming ... 1. A user coming from Windows, or 2. A user with no computer experience In the case of #1 (which ignores UNIX, MacOS X and other users), it's a catch-22. Let's say we adopt the Microsoft terminology. What is that then? Well, it depends on the Windows version. Even using your own example, Microsoft does _not_ call it a "directory" -- much less tries to explain what a "subdirectory" is. So that confuses people right there. They use the term "folder" -- and have for some time now. I recognized this chronic problem when I tried to find a "Null Modem" serial cable at 3 different superstores one day about 8 years ago. No one had heard of it. But when I finally found one at a small tech shop, it was labeled "Interlnk" (but the techie knew what I was talking about). I then went back to the 3 superstores and they _each_ had the same damn cable -- only one called it "Interlnk" the other called it "Laplink" and yet another called it a "crossover" serial cable. *NONE* of them referred to it as a "null modem" cable. In the case of #2, it doesn't really matter _what_ term you use, as long as you are _consistent_. UNIX has been consistent. There are disk labels and slices (often called partition tables and partitions in the PC world, although that gets very confusing and causes people to not understand how Windows' LDM and various UNIX/Linux LVM works), filesystems (or volumes for advanced organization), and then files and directories. These are the terms used for 30+ years. Microsoft, on the other hand, keeps changing things. And don't even get me started on why drive letters exist and why the backslash is used for directories (that's CP/M's fault -- at least up until the point Microsoft swiped the code c/o Seattle Computer Products ;-). So, again, I don't really think the term matters as long as we are _consistent_. You can_not_ be "consistent" if you just change the terminology every time Microsoft changes it. Which means they are _not_ "directories" but "folders" -- at least until Vista comes out.
Anyway, we've been stuck with this <fill in nasty word> for awhile and it seems to become more pervasive. I hate it, and most of the people I've talked to hate it also.
What I hate is people assuming what the "appropriate term" is. To me, it's the same damn term we've been using for 30+ years! So don't go down this avenue unless you _really_ want to open your mind. The problem isn't us old "UNIX wennies," it's the marketing and changing of terms by the "noobs!" ;-> Not the term Microsoft has been using for the last 5 years -- much less the new set of terms they are changing with Vista. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, technical annoyance mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com ---------------------------------------------------------- The existence of Linux has far more to do with the breakup of AT&T's monopoly than anything Microsoft has ever done. -- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com