Boot Volume Directory Structure

This is the directory layout of the boot volume:

home/config
      , and runtime_loader>

system
      add-ons
      apps
      bin
      boot
      cache*
      data
      demos
      develop
      documentation
      lib
      non-packaged*
      packages*
      preferences
      servers
      settings*
      var*

      haiku_loader
      kernel_
      runtime_loader

trash

The structure mostly equals the pre-package management directory structure with the following changes:

• "common" has been removed, or more correctly it has been merged into "system". All system-wide software is now installed (only) in "system".

• The "develop" directory has been removed and its contents has been moved to the "system/develop" directory.

• The "include" directory has been removed. Its contents lives in "develop/headers" now.

• "optional" has been removed. Optional features can just be installed via the package manager.

• "share" and "etc" (in "common") have been removed. Their contents goes to "data", "documentation", or "settings" (in "system" or, for packages installed there, in "home") as appropriate. There’s "settings/etc" which is where ported Unix software will usually store their global settings.

• "apps" and "preferences" have been moved to "system" for consistency.

• "system" and "home/config" each sport a "packages" directory, which contains the activated packages.

• "system" and "home/config" themselves are mount points for two instances of the packagefs, i.e. each contains the virtually extracted contents of the activated packages in the respective "packages" subdirectory. The directories marked with "*" are “shine-through” directories. They are not provided by the packagefs, but are the underlying directories of the boot volume. Unlike the other directories they are writable.

• "system" and "home/config" each contain a directory "non-packaged" which has the same structure as their parent directory minus the shine-through directories. In the "non-packaged" directories software can be installed the traditional – non-packaged – way.