Ubuntu to rename top level directories?

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praka123

praka123

left this forum longback
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:
Code: 
/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 :evil:
 
CadCrazy

CadCrazy

in search of myself
praka123 said:
^how u know? :D
Click to expand...

Are hum to udti chiriya ke par gin lete hai :D

Garbage said:
nice changes !!! I would like to see them soon !
Click to expand...
soon :D

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.
Click to expand...

praka123 said:
Other distributions are expected to follow up with these changes in 2011.
Click to expand...

Only Ubuntu Based distros or every GNU/Linux distros ?
 
Faun

Faun

Wahahaha~!
Staff member
i wish it confines itself to Ubuntu only, i dont wanna see this change in other distros.
 
abhinandh

abhinandh

Proud to be Linux
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

ray|raven

Think Zen.
^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.
 
M

mehulved

18 Till I Die............
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.
 
F

FilledVoid

Guest
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?
 
ray|raven

ray|raven

Think Zen.
^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 :p
 
MetalheadGautham

MetalheadGautham

AFK
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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praka123

praka123

left this forum longback
^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 :rolleyes:

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.
 
DigitalDude

DigitalDude

PhotonAttack
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 :p



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