Each user account that you create in Tiger is a self-contained universe. For example, each user has a number of unique characteristics and folders devoted just to that person, and Tiger keeps track of everything that user changes or creates.
This unique universe includes a different system of folders for each user account on your system. The top-level folder uses the short name that Tiger assigns when that user account is created. Naturally, the actual folder name is different for each person, so Mac techno-types typically refer to this folder as your Home folder.
Each account's Home folder contains a set of subfolders, including the following:
- Movies
- Music
- Pictures
- Library
- Public
- Sites (Web pages created by the user)
- Documents (created by the user)
Although you can store your stuff at the root (top level) of your hard drive, that mass of files, folders, and aliases can get crowded and confusing very quickly.
Your Home folder is where you hang out and where you store your stuff. Use it to make your computing life much easier!
You can create subfolders within your Documents folder to organize your files and folders even further. For example, if you were a writer, you could create a subfolder in your Documents folder for every book that you write. That way, you can quickly and easily locate all the documents and files associated with that book project.
In addition to using the Finder window sidebar, you can reach your Home folder in these convenient ways:
- From the Go menu: Choose Go --> Home to display your Home folder immediately from the Finder window. You can press Command+Shift+H to accomplish the same thing.
- From the Open and Save dialog boxes: Tiger's standard File Open and File Save dialog boxes also include the same Home folder (and subfolder) icons as the Finder window sidebar.
- Within any new Finder window you open: If you like, you can set every Finder window that you open to do so automatically within your Home folder.
Here's another reason to use your Home folder to store your stuff: Tiger expects your stuff to be there when you use Apple's Backup application or when you migrate your files from an older Mac to a new Mac.
