Root

• The root directory, known as "/", is the directory from which all other parts of the file system branch off from. Unlike Windows, there are no "C" or "D" drives. Rather, drives and partitions are mounted to specific folders within the root file structure. For example, rather than being assigned a drive letter, an inserted DVD may be mounted to the folder "/media/dvd/."
  
  

The "/home" Folder

• All user documents are stored in the home folder within a separate folder with the user's name. For example, a user named "john.smith.1" will have all of his documents stored in the folder "/home/john.smith.1/." On most Unix systems, a user can use the shortcut "~" to refer to his own home folder.
  
  

The "/usr" Folder

• All files that are intended to be readable to all users on a computer are stored in the "/usr" folder. A special example of this is the "/usr/bin" folder, which is used to store applications.
  
  

The "/etc" Folder

• The "/etc" folder holds all of the system settings for the computer. It is usually only changeable by system administrators.
  
  

The "/dev" Folder

• The "/dev" folder is a special case. Unlike the other folders, it does not contain files stored on a hard drive but rather contains references to all of the hardware of the computer. For example, the command "echo "Hello" >> /dev/stdout" will print the word "Hello" to the "stdout", or the user's terminal.