Introduction
Purpose
This standard enables:
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Software to predict the location of installed files and directories, and
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Users to predict the location of installed files and directories.
We do this by:
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Specifying guiding principles for each area of the filesystem,
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Specifying the minimum files and directories required,
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Enumerating exceptions to the principles, and
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Enumerating specific cases where there has been historical conflict.
The FHS document is used by:
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Independent software suppliers to create applications which are FHS compliant, and work with distributions which are FHS complaint,
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OS creators to provide systems which are FHS compliant, and
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Users to understand and maintain the FHS compliance of a system.
The FHS document has a limited scope:
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Local placement of local files is a local issue, so FHS does not attempt to usurp system administrators.
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FHS addresses issues where file placements need to be coordinated between multiple parties such as local sites, distributions, applications, documentation, etc.
Conventions
We recommend that you read a typeset version of this document rather than the plain text version. In the typeset version, the names of files and directories are displayed in a constant-width font.
Components of filenames that vary are represented by a description of the contents enclosed in "<" and ">" characters, <thus>. Electronic mail addresses are also enclosed in "<" and ">" but are shown in the usual typeface.
Optional components of filenames are enclosed in "[" and "]" characters and may be combined with the "<" and ">" convention. For example, if a filename is allowed to occur either with or without an extension, it might be represented by <filename>[.<extension>].
Variable substrings of directory names and filenames are indicated by "*".
The sections of the text marked as Rationale are explanatory and are non-normative.