A directory is not a meeting of directors, much less a place for them to live together. The term has many other concepts, both close and very distant. What are directories, we will analyze in detail in this material. Let's start with the original value.
What is a directory?
Directory (from the French. Directoire ) is one of the forms of organization of state power, represented by a collegial form of government. In other words, this decision of issues important to the country takes place at the general meeting of certain officials.
What is a directory in a different meaning? This is collegial management in general, not only among the supreme authority. So, for example, it was the directory that directed the Bolshoi Theater in 1918-1920.
And now let's move on to illustrative examples of directories on a national scale:
- In France, 1795-1799 the highest executive power was in the hands of five Directors.
- In Russia:
- September-October 1917 - a college of five ministers headed by Kerensky was a temporary emergency authority in the country.
- In July-October 1918, the Directory is the unofficial name of the Council of Ministers of the interim government of Siberia.
- October-November 1918 - the reign of the Ufa Directory (unofficial name for the All-Russian Provisional Government, whose head was N. D. Avksentiev).
- In Ukraine:
- In the years 1918-1920. The Ukrainian directory is the state authority of the Ukrainian People’s Republic.
- In the years 1919-1920. The directory of Carpathian Rus is an autonomous government of this region as part of Czechoslovakia.
- What is a directory in Switzerland? This is a form of government, in which the highest executive power of a federal republic belongs to the Federal Council, elected by parliament. It consists of 7 members. Each of them is endowed with the function of president or vice president.
Directory - file system
Let's see what a directory is on a computer. Other names are catalog, folder, directory. All this in this context is an object in the PC file system that simplifies file organization. I must say, the directory here is already a somewhat outdated name. In use - folder, directory.
A directory can contain any number of files, or other folders that also contain documents, content, and other information. Such directories are needed to group information, simplify its organization, search, and general systematization of data.
Installation directory
What is the installation directory? This phrase is confusing for many.
The term is again characteristic for PC. Here the directory is the same folder. But one in which the program will be installed. For example, for Windows, the standard installation directory would be C: \ Program Files. Or another folder that you can choose yourself.
Root directories
What is the root directory? That's right, this is the root folder! That is, such a directory where all system files are stored. From the root directory, the so-called root of the disk, all other folders already grow. It is she - the main link in any device in which there is electronic memory. Let's look at a particular one.
A computer . The root directory is absolutely in any PC, laptop. Moreover, at least two of them are C and D drives, which are well known to you.
Flash drive . What is the root directory of a flash drive? This is the main folder that opens after the PC identifies the drive in "My Computer" (Windows). Inside it, you can create several child directories or even entire branches of them to organize the stored information.
Visually, such a structure is better represented in the form of a tree. The main directory is its root (hence the definition of "root"), and other directories - the trunk and smaller branches. Files are leaves.
Smartphone The root folder of the smartphone will be the directory where the OS, applications, all your photos, videos, audio recordings are stored. If the memory can be expanded with a flash drive, then you will create another system of folders in which you can place various information.
Where to find root directories?
What is the root directory, it is now clear to us. But it is equally important and quickly find it. It is not so difficult - we will tell you the ways for each of these cases.
A computer . You need to select "This computer" ("My computer" - depending on the version of the OS) with your mouse, go to the system tree, where you will find drive C or D.
Flash drive . Finding the root folder here is easiest: as soon as you connect the device to the computer, automatically or by clicking on the "flash drive" tab in "My Computer" you find yourself in it.
Smartphone The user of the iPhone does not provide direct access to the root directories of the device. Androids are different. You can get to the root folders both through the file manager on the phone itself, and by connecting the device to a PC, laptop. Opening it in "My Computer", you will find the root folder in the smartphone’s folder system.
Initially, the term we were considering meant a collegial governing body. Later, this concept migrated to the information environment - it began to name folders, file storages with various information. However, in the computer field today the concept of "directory" is already somewhat outdated.