Boot Volume Directory Structure

This is the directory layout of the boot volume:

home/config
      <like system, but without haiku_loader, kernel_<arch>, 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_<arch>
      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.