this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2024
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[–] [email protected] 91 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Been using Linux as my primary OS for (counts on fingers)... decades now. Called them folders the whole time. Never had a problem with it. Nobody who matters cares.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago

Until now, i care a ton!
Oh wait, "Nobody who matters"
dang, nevermind

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Exactly, thank you. My thought when seeing this was "who the fuck cares?"

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[–] [email protected] 87 points 5 months ago (4 children)

I typically call them folders when going through the GUI and directories when using CLI.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I never realized I subconsciously did this until your pointing it out. Huh. Thanks for that insight I suppose, haha

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

well it sorta just makes sense, the gui presents it as a folder, you can move things around in it like a folder, conceptually it presents them in a way to make you think they are physical things stored in a physical folder/box. cli it really just feels like you are using a string of characters indicating the desired file, it feels more like a directory that way, even if it always really is that way, just showcased differently in the gui.

brain doing brainy things, strings/lines vs pictures/labels

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

This is a fact.

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[–] [email protected] 51 points 5 months ago
[–] [email protected] 47 points 5 months ago (6 children)

meh. folder is 2 syllables, directory is like 4. I'm lazy. If someone gave me a clear one syllable alternative that others would know what I meant (even if while cringing), i'd probably start using that instead. I've tried just "dir", but no one ever knows wtf i'm saying.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yep, while this meme is funny and in jest. If someone actually seriously gave me shit for saying "folder" or "directory" I would have to ask them what Stallman's toe nails actually taste like. Because that is up there with his level of being rigid about something that I just can't stand.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago

I just use "dir" about 90% of the time.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I like how you put things.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The real hard Linux nerds will just call them files

[–] Sethayy 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 33 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I only call them by inode. Scoffs

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 5 months ago (5 children)
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[–] [email protected] 22 points 5 months ago
[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago (3 children)

So what's the difference?

My intuition is that directory is the older term and refers to something existing on the file system while folder can be that but also includes "virtual folders" that group together different files from across the file system like when photo manager shows you categories like 'recently viewed' or 'taken in 2023'.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago
[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Directory is the older term, but when they started making computers user friendly they needed a friendlier word for it. Folders make sense because people understand putting files in folders in real life.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Uhhh directories are files where other files are stored in a computer, folders are pieces of paper used to store pieces of paper (or a file used to store another files in a computer)

[–] festnt 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)

folders are only considered files in linux, in windows, its a mess

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

something about not unix operating systems not being valid

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

obligatory mansplaining that Linux is not Unix

[–] funkless_eck 4 points 5 months ago

obligatory its a Unix system, I know this

[–] kamenoko 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

A directory outside of computing is simply a list of items with a common characteristic. A list of names at an apartment building for example.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 months ago (1 children)

everything in my home directory is a folder, everything outside of that is a directory

[–] Sethayy 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And interestingly enough the home directory itself falls outside of itself

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (4 children)

alias cf=cd

Note: I don't actually do this. I'm not a monster.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Me when I don't say inodes to refer to folders in iOS:

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago

Dumb joke, iKnow

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Meh, I dont care. If they used a word that wasn't directly linked to the concept then I might care.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago

I mix and match. I used to have an Amiga back in the day, and they were called directories there. As such, most of my parlance is from those days. But most of my work life has been on Windows. So, folder has sneaked into everyday usage.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago

In our forum you just give the coordinates in your woven core memory...

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

theyrethesamepicture.jpg

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Directory means a listing. You are referring to the list of names of some items.

I'm usually working with folders that actually contain files and other folders. It's often closed, so the content is not shown. A folder is a container.

Wikipedia clarifies this difference.

A telephone directory does not contain telephones.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

a file directory doesent contain anything but adresses aswell

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Both are noobs. Its Linux, they're all files!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I switched to Linux only about a year ago. I frequently called them directories even in Windows. I sometimes use folder too, but usually directory I think.

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