Quick summary of Linux directory hierarchy

gistfile1.textile

Linux directory heirarchy

/bin	binaries, basic Linux commands are here
/boot	boot code, leave it be
/dev	all devices/hardware, all treated as a stream
/etc	config files & resources, only root user can modify
/home	user account info & personal files
/lib	shared library files essential for binaries
/lost+found	stray files that can be recovered after a crash
/media	mount points for removable media
/mnt	mount points
/opt	optional & larger application packages
/proc	virtual files for various system processes
/root	root user’s home directory
/sbin	essential system binaries reserved for the root user
/selinux	security-enhanced Linux
/srv	site-specific data
/sys	virtual filesystem, similar to /proc
/tmp	temporary files
/usr	user applications, subdirectories for user-installed commands, kernel source, documentation, config files, man pages, etc.
/usr/share	config files and graphics for numerous user applications
/usr/src	source code for some system stuff, including the Linux kernel
/usr/include	headers for c/c++ and some other development essentials
/usr/lib*	library files for the whole system. you may find lib, lib32 and lib64 for different architectures
/usr/local	programs installed by the user manually
/usr/bin	non-system essential programs and commands
/var	variable files such as logs, cache, email