technology > staff > mboldin > Sun Lab Survival Guide > Slashes

Version 1.2
Last modified on 2011/09/07 01:38:27 by mboldin

Use Forward Slashes in Your Pathnames

The forward slash /, not the backslash^* \ (à la DOS/Windoze) is used to separate directory names and filenames.  There are no drive letters either.

• The UNIX file system is organized as a hierarchical tree.

• A directory is a listing of files and other directories.

• Directories help keep the masses of files organized in a meaningful way.

• The root of the tree is a directory known as / (and is called root).

• A file contains information or is a special file.

^* The backslash is used as an escape character in UNIX (and Linux) — it prevents "special characters" from acting special.

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