Users - Hard Disc Organisation

This is a very simplified view, but hopefully will give an idea of what goes where.

User Areas

Like all modern computers, Mac OS X is designed to cope with more than one person using the computer. It does this by allowing you to create 'users' who each effectively have their own computer. When you switch on, you are presented with a list of all users that have been set up. You click on whichever is you, (probably) enter a password and start work, as if you were the only person using the machine.

How does it do this? Your hard disc is effectively organised into areas. Firstly, there's the bit that houses OS X itself. Obviously, all users need to share this. Secondly, there's a folder called Applications in which programs are stored - again, available to all users, but thirdly, there is an area for each user, and it's specific to them.

Each user's area is known as a Home Folder - represented by a house icon. In here are settings specific to each person (held in folders called Library and Preferences) and a Documents folder for, well, the documents you create! So, you will have your own songs in iTunes, your own photos in iPhoto and so on.