Hi,
I have seen many posts here suggest that there should be different partitions for dev home and var dirs. I have just tried using Linux and had some questions regarding these partitions but couldn't find answers upon searching.

Questions are

1- Do you really need a separate partition for the swap file? If you don't does keeping the file on a different file system offer better performance?
2- Is it necessary to make a separate /boot partition for the kernel? Can't you put everything in one drive like windows?
3- When you install programs using the ./configure make makeinstall command usually everything is "dumped" into the /bin folder. Isn't there any way installations could be organized like windows (Program Files\App Dir).
4- Is there any way to uninstall the programs without making packages for them first and then using your distros package manager?
5- Would it affect my performance (videos etc no gaming) if I didn't use Ati's driver (as it doesn't support my Mobility Radeon 7500)?

can someone provide me with some material about different folder system used in Linux. I understand some like dev and home but really thorough descriptions of their functionality would help a lot.

Thanks a lot

1. you need swap in different partition. Period.
2. For home user: there is no need to make /boot in different partition.
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=220302

3. Maybe there is a way. But it is weird. That 's the way Linux organise things.... Very nice....

4. If you install software by ./configure; make; make install; then sometimes you can uninstall it by issue "make uninstall" command in package directory. That the case if the developer provide make uninstall script. Other than that, you cann't uninstall the software from source. So.... try to avoid to compile the software. Use install manager like portage, apt-get or urpmi....

5. No, except you cann't see nice opengl screensaver......

try googling. I don't know honestly about different folder system that used by linux.

What I meant was something to explain what /etc / home /dev folders mean and how are they organised etc etc.

Thanks for the help!

It's often possible to override the application path used by the configure script like this:
./configure --prefix=/programs/my_app
Check the README and INSTALL files that come with the application package.

For you last question try googling, I received 1550000 hits with 'Linux directory structure'

Linux will allow you to run a swap/paging file just like Windows NT. There is no necessity that you have a swap partition. It is simply "the way things tend to be done" with home linux setups. If you have a gig of ram, you won't ever use it anyway. I have never seen it use more than 850 mb of ram before.

The necessity of separating partitions is non-existent on all counts on a home machine. There is no reason you cannot run everything on one giant partition. And in fact that may be more efficient and easy to manage.

3. I usually install programs to /usr/lib since that's where Mandrake puts most things anyway. /opt is generally empty these days. Youl could install everything there. Or, you can install stuff to lots of places. I install most programs into my /home directory since I am the only user. You can start any software from anywhere as long as there is a symlink to it in /usr/bin

4. You can just do a find on the name of the file and then rm the directory. Linux has no registry. So, the directory with all of the files is pretty much self contained for user-installed software. You might have to then manually tweak your MIME and other settings in your X setup, though, if they have this program in their config files.

5. An ATI card, huh? Depends on the distribution. Using the driver probably won't improve 2d performance much, but it will improve it some. On Mandrake 10.0, when I installed the nvidia driver, the 2d performance for office apps improved. Screen draws were eye-catchingly faster. However, it should run OK without it.

What do the directories mean?

/boot = stuff you use to boot
/bin = binary files that run the OS and shell
/var = variable size files like system logs
/usr = all sorts of crud
./bin = more binary files and libraries
./lib = libraries and some program directories and files
./local = supposed to be for programs only for this machine - but some programs go there
./local/bin = some programs like to live here.
/etc = configuration files
/opt = optional software you might like to install (sometimes dead empty)
/lib = library files
/mnt = mount points for cdrom, floppy, tape, usb devices, windows partitions, etc.
/dev = system device files (everything is a file in Linux)

nice, thanks, i have been woundering about that too.

also

/home is were all of the users get their stuff just like in windows with Documents and Settings.

as for /swap i always set one up, but i also limit it to only 256M as most of my systems have well over 512M ram in them and several are running at 1G.

that was a nice read on the /boot. i have always set /boot partition just because im a newbie and did not know better. i think ill still keep with it as i keep a seperate /root then put everything else in /home.

/boot
/swap
/
/home

thats all i use on my systems, but then im a newbie so i really dont know much anyways.