UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Even as a newly born newbie, I know it sounds as if I'm asking how many shoes in a pair, but such is life. I'm trying to discover java programming with osx and have only previously done simple programming with basic. I have had shell experience with the amiga years ago so I get the idea of using a cli in an otherwise visual enviorment but I digress.

What is this thing called the usr/bin? When I bring the up terminal it says "Welcome to Darwin" and then [mac:~] mark%

If I - for no particular reason and just taking random stabs - type cd \ I get a ? to which I answer / and then it leads me to what seems to be the root of my hard drive. [mac:/] mark% (I'm mark, btw) I know I'm there because I can mkdir and see the folder pop up on the hard drive.

anyway, I then cd to this thing called usr/bin and get [mac:/usr/bin] mark%

but I can't find any real thing called usr/bin on my hard drive. Any experience I've had with unix-like interfaces have always navigated around known files and directories. All I know about usr/bin is it's where my java compiler - javac is.

The hopeful end result of all this frustration is being able to use java with the Quicktime for Java feature so I can program some basic video editing routines with java. Can't get java to recognize my QT for java zip file (not that I understand how to do it in the first place) It seems to use java you have to deal with all kinds of different elements, zip files, jar files, commands and whatnot.

All I've been able to do - after way too much effort - is finally compile and run "hello world" and get java to do some basic-like variable stuff.

Can anyone point me to a good reference on how to set classpath, add libraries and commands, and get me pointed in a good direction? Hopefully I've reavealed enough of my level of newness and confusion

It is

Code:

/usr/bin

the "/" slanty-character is like the "\" slanty character in windows, it is the top or root directory.

Code:

cd /usr/bin

will take you to where most of the "commands" are - things like sed, grep, awk, vi. These are executable images (ELF format in linux)

Code:

cd <- note trailing space

takes you back home to your login directory.

also since when you are in your home directory it shows ~ instead of /home/marc , you can use cd ~ to cd to your home directory.