tailieunhanh - Using Your Unix Account

A file is the unit of storage in Unix, as in most other systems. A file can hold anything: text (a report you’re writing, a to-do list), a program, digitally encoded pictures or sound, and so on. All of those are just sequences of raw data until they’re interpr eted by the right program. | 3 Using Your Unix Account In this chapter The Unix Filesystem Looking Inside Files with less Protecting and Sharing Files Graphical Filesystem Browsers Completing File and Directory Names Changing Your Password Customizing Your Account Once you log in you can use the many facilities that Unix provides. As an authorized system user you have an account that gives you A place in the Unix filesystem where you can store your files. A username that identifies you lets you control access to your files and is an address for your email. An environment you can customize. The Unix Filesystem A file is the unit of storage in Unix as in most other systems. A file can hold anything text a report you re writing a to-do list a program digitally encoded pictures or sound and so on. All of those are just sequences of raw data until they re interpreted by the right program. In Unix files are organized into directories. A directory is actually a special kind of file where the system stores information about other files. You can think of a directory as a place so that files are said to be contained in directories and you are said to work inside a directory. If you ve used a Macintosh or Microsoft Windows computer a Unix directory is similar to a folder. This section introduces the Unix filesystem. Later sections in this chapter show how you can look in files and protect them. Chapter 4 has more information. 42 7 January 2002 13 12 The Unix Filesystem 43 Your Home Directory When you log in to Unix you re placed in a directory called your home directory. This directory a unique place in the Unix filesystem contains the files you use almost every time you log in. In your home directory you can make your own files. As you ll see in a minute you can also store your own directories within your home directory. Like folders in a file cabinet this is a good way to organize your files. Your Working Directory Your working directory also called your current directory is the directory you re .