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The /usr filesystem is often large, since all programs
are installed there. All files in /usr usually come from
a Linux distribution; locally installed programs and other
stuff goes below /usr/local . This makes it possible to
update the system from a new version of the distribution, or even
a completely new distribution, without having to install all programs
again.
Some of the subdirectories of /usr are listed below (some of
the less important directories have been dropped; see the FSSTND
for more information).
- /usr/X11R6
-
The X Window System, all files. To simplify the development
and installation of X, the X files have not been
integrated into the rest of the system. There is a
directory tree below /usr/X11R6 similar to that below
/usr itself.
- /usr/X386
-
Similar to /usr/X11R6 , but for X11 Release 5.
- /usr/bin
-
Almost all user commands. Some commands are in
/bin or in /usr/local/bin .
- /usr/sbin
-
System administration commands that are not needed on
the root filesystem, e.g., most server programs.
- /usr/man , /usr/info , /usr/doc
-
Manual pages, GNU Info documents, and miscellaneous
other documentation files, respectively.
- /usr/include
-
Header files for the C programming language. This should
actually be below /usr/lib for consistency, but
the tradition is overwhelmingly in support for this name.
- /usr/lib
-
Unchanging data files for programs and subsystems, including
some site-wide configuration files. The name lib
comes from library; originally libraries of programming
subroutines were stored in /usr/lib .
- /usr/local
-
The place for locally installed software and other files.
Lars Wirzenius
Sun May 4 14:08:43 EEST 1997