Re: [PATCH v2 3/6] intro.1: Explain the meaning of a directory

["Jeremy Baxter" <jtbx@disroot.org>]

On Mon Mar 18, 2024 at 4:05 AM NZDT, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
> On Sun, Mar 17, 2024 at 09:08:31PM +1300, Jeremy Baxter wrote:
> > ---
> >  man1/intro.1 | 3 +++
> >  1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)
> > 
> > diff --git a/man1/intro.1 b/man1/intro.1
> > index 090678750..f0a8d98e0 100644
> > --- a/man1/intro.1
> > +++ b/man1/intro.1
> > @@ -180,6 +180,9 @@ The command
> >  In this example, we use it to find Maja's telephone number.
> >  .SS Pathnames and the current directory
> >  Files live in a large tree, called the file hierarchy.
> > +In this hierarchy, there are many
> > +.IR directories ;
> > +a directory is simply a file that can hold other files as opposed to text.
>
> This might confuse more than it helps.  What does "hold" mean?  Does the
> directory hold the file data?  As in a .tar archive?  No.
>
> In any case, this subsection doesn't seem to treat how directories are
> represented in the filesystem, but rather how they are presented to the
> user in path names.

What do you think about this?

  In this hierarchy, there are many
  .IR directories ;
  a directory is simple a file that contains other files,
  rather than text.
  For example, if we have a file called
  .I tel
  in the directory
  .IR /home/aeb ,
  we can refer to it by the pathname
  .IR /home/aeb/tel .

I think this section is still important because previously there was
no explanation for this, and most people are accustomed to using the
word "folder".

 ~Jeremy

> >  Each file has a
> >  .I "pathname"
> >  describing the location of the file from the root of the tree
> > -- 
> > 2.44.0
> > 
> >