7.1. General good housekeeping

7.1.1. Introduction

As we mentioned before, it is easy enough to make a mess of the system. We can't put enough stress on the importance of keeping the place tidy. When you learn this from the start, it will become a good habit that will save you time when programming on a Linux or UNIX system or when confronted with system management tasks. Here are some ways of making life easier on yourself:

• Make a bin directory for your program files and scripts.

• Organize non-executable files in appropriate directories, and make as many directories as you like. Examples include separate directories for images, documents, projects, downloaded files, spreadsheets, personal files, and so on.

• Make directories private with the chmod 700 dirname command.

• Give your files sensible names, such as Complaint to the prime minister 050302 rather than letter1.