Directory structure : A comparison between Windows and Gnu/Linux

Here is a comparison of the default directory structures of  Windows and Gnu/Linux.

Directory On Gnu/Linux	Explanation	Equivalent on Windows (Default installation)
/	Root Directory	No real equivalent. Each storage medium has a separate root directory
/bin, /usr/bin and /usr/local	Program executable files	Program files
/sbin and /usr/sbin	Important executable files	Windows and Windows\System32
/boot	Files required to start the system	C:\
/etc	Configuration files, services, etc.	Windows, Windows\System32 and Registry
/var	System Logs , etc.	Windows and Windows\System32
/usr/lib	Libraries	Program Files\Common Files, Windows and Windows\System32
/root	Files of default administrator (called root user)	document and Settings\ for administrator
/home	Files of each non-root user	documents and settings
/media and /mnt	Extra storage devices and file systems mounted here	My computer virtual folder
/usr/include and /usr/src	Source code	N/A
/dev	Device files (hardware is represented by files)	N/A
/proc	Virtual files representing data such as running tasks, free memory, etc. Updated in real time	N/A

Gnu/Linux Directory Structure

I got this from an article by Saurav Sengupta, “Windows and Gnu/Linux what is the difference?” published in Linux For You magazine August 2008. I found it really helpful for those who are newly migrated to Gnu/Linux from Windows.

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