Understanding the /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin Split

". If you've used UNIX or any of its derivatives, you've probably wondered why there's /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin in the file system. You may even have a rationalisation for the existence of each and every one of these directories. The thing is, though - all these rationalisations were thought up after these directories were created. As it turns out, the real reasoning is pretty damn straightforward.

I've never made a secret of the fact that I absolutely detest the UNIX directory structure. The names are non-descriptive and often entirely arbitrary, they require a book to properly understand, and everyone seems to have their own ideas about what goes where. And heck, does it show - even among Linux distributions there's no consistency about what goes where.

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