cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/shit/p/1209351/when-you-accidentally-say-folder-instead-of-directory-in-a-linux-group

I feel this deep. Coming around full circle over the past 30-odd years.

Cutting my teeth mucking around and learning DOS 5 with friends on my families first PC, they were directories. Migrating to a support career where everything is stored in folders and now coming out the other side abandoning windows altogether and I'm back to calling everything directories again!

Too late, you're gonna get corrected by 4 people

In KDE, when right-click menu gives you an option for a new "folder". I will call it a folder.

At least both sides agree that the big piece of silicon wafer inside the PC is called the motherboard, and not some deranged bougie term like logic board... 🤦

Me, earlier today, referring to Niri as a desktop instead of a "window manager," which is also wrong as it's a Wayland compositor.

System board (at least for laptops)

Yep and don't get me started on object storage where everything is a prefix

linux users when they walk into a room:

ls

windows users when they walk into a room

DIR

Uhm, ackshually, the motherboard is fiberglass, a.k.a. GRP, with copper traces imprinted on it.

Motherboard made more sense when there were daughterboards.

At this point without that the term is much more meaningless compared to alternatives like System board or Main logic board.

The biggest silicon wafer is going to be your CPU or GPU. The motherboard is mostly fiberglass and copper.

When you call it the windows key

"I'll show you my tiny wand"

I use either term. "Directory" is a weird term honestly. I accept it and use it often, but folder finds does make more sense honestly.

Yes, a directory is a list of items. Like a telephone directory. A folder is a container of items.

In 2009 I added Folder to the Wikipedia page Directory (computing) Explaining the Folder Metaphor in both English and German (Verzeichnis/Ordner). My clarification has been tweaked and altered slightly to bring it into line with Wikipedia standards, but it has stood the test of time.

I always use the term folder in Linux circles when referring to a container of things. It's useful to stress the importance of the user interface, which is often misunderstood by many there. Be proud!

I guess most Windows users don't know what DIR is or even where to use it.

"Do you use DIR?"
User: "Do I use what? And don't call me dear."

Opening a folder in Explorer automatically shows the contents, saving the need for an extra step.

Here is a container of DIR.
Which is called a pen! Hmmm.

The Xfce file manager, Thunar (4.18 with en-US as language), also has "Create Folder..." under the File menu, and in some contexts in the right-click menu.

Under Preferences, Behavior, it has both "directory" and "folders".

man ls uses "directory" only tho, and of course mkdir.

cd

ls

ls

What was I doing again?

ls

lsd

You start tripping out

What? You expect me to use "Super" out there in the wild and not look crazy?

I bought tux stickers to stick them onto the windows icon of my keyboard. However it is a lighted one. So you had tux on top and in a red light the windows icon shined through. It was even more cursed that way.

Firstly, thank you for your contributions to Wikipedia. And yeah those are the two ways I've thought of those terms. What's weird to me is that saying "directory" to refer to the containing object does sound like you're referring to just the listing itself, as you said, which is ever-changing metadata and to my knowledge that is not stored in/on the folder itself, it would be in the ...whatever equivalent of file allocation tables are now. But, since so many people say directory I've learned to use it interchangeably with folder. Directory feels more technical and somehow more closely attached to the concept of a path. I dunno, words are weird!

As an old person who started on MS-DOS, I've always said "directory", and "program". I had trouble switching to "folder" and then more recently "app". I'm happy to have switched to Linux a couple of years ago so I can just say directory again. The word app, short for application, came from Apple, with the iPhone. No doubt they also liked that is the first three letters of Apple, too. It was specifically for the little programs that ran on iPhone, not meant to replace "program" across the board. But, here we are. Also, "web app" was used to refer to those websites or pages that worked like apps on iPhones, before apps became commonplace. Now, everything from Notes to Photoshop is an "app".

"Task Manager, my beloved"

"I'm System Monitor now" (Arch+KDE)

"Apologies. System Monitor, my beloved"

Also, the bottom bar with icons and stuff is called "Task Manager" on KDE, which is mildly confusing

There's another name for the windows key?

Super or Meta is and Mac calls it command key

meta is the alt key (option on Macs)

Folder is better. On disk, a folder is a list of pairs of a name and number, mapping the items in the folder to their location on the disk i.e. it's a directory. The days before computerization are before my time, but, as I understand it, library index cards worked this way. You might have a card for each author which listed the books by that author with the location of the index card on that book, and you might have directory cards on subjects or keywords too, and the card on a book might point to the location of the book on the shelf and the card for the author, etc., or something like that. It would be most confusing to call these directory cards "folders". The computer does the same thing internally, but the user interface has hidden away any notion of directory. They're logically folders. It's only a directory if you're writing a file system implementation.

I fairly sure I've seen various *nix tools call it super, meta, and hyper. I think super is the most correct but I've seen all three

Most file managers on Linux, like GNOME or KDE, have the option "New Folder". It's fine to use them interchangeably, y'all.

Super and Meta refer to two different keys from olden times that no longer appear on mainstream keyboards. So they are emulated using a convenient proxy.

It’s most common on Gnome to use the Windows key for Super, while Meta is set by user preference, often to Left Alt.

Super and Meta have different functions and are not interchangeable, though two given users may map the windows key to one or other.

This meme came JUST right in time, as my blood alcohol leves reach appropriate leveleles.

imo, directory refers to the filesystem concept, folder refers to the UI concept

We got ourselves a celebrity, I’m going to call you Hollywood

In spanish wy kind of use both interchangeably... carpeta, directorio.

Yeah, but if the UI refers to the same file system's directories also as folders, why do people get so bent out of shape when you call them either?

I honestly like folders better.
It's one of the few good things from windows.

Files are in folders. That makes so much sense.

Interesting. Thanks for that explanation!

I've only seriously been on linux for about 6 months. It's been longer but as far as actually doing the low level linux user stuff in the terminal? - 6 months. Saying 'directory' just sort of happens once you start tinkering in any meaningful way.

wait, windows uses folder?

i've been saying directory since DOS. CD means Change Directory.

i have looked in the oxford english dictionary, which magically sprang into existence in 1991, and the word application did not exist before apple. COINCIDENCE I THINK SO

i call it the "fuck your game" key

dir/w/p dude

i ain't read fast enough to use dir. and i ain't use a vertical monitor with my CLI

all paths lead to gnome

I put on my robe and coding hat

just call it a mobo and let future generations wonder

Such simpletons. I use the term File Name Category, since "folders" and "directories" are just a fancy way of referring to longer file names used to sort files. You would think someone using linux would understand this.

I use Arch BTW. 🎩

Microsoft is the one that forced manufacturers to add it, or they couldn't advertise their keyboard as being "Designed for Windows 95", as it is required for the shortcuts (e.g win + d shows the desktop). The "Menu" key was added at the same time so that the Win 95 UI could be navigated without a mouse.

Now they are going the same with the CoPilot key. And poorly - Windows keys send keycode 0x5B and 0x5C. Menu sends 0x5D.
The CoPilot key? Left Shift + Windows + F23, obviously.