The traditional Filesystem Hierarchy Standard uses abbreviated, historically derived names (/etc, /usr, /var, /sbin) that obscure their purpose. Aesthetic FHS replaces this structure with human-readable paths that communicate intent directly.
This tree diagram is an initial implementation of a proposed filesystem hierarchy for Nitrux.
/Applications System-wide bundles /System System components ├── Binaries Non-AppImage system-wide binaries │ ├── Administrative For administrative tasks (openrc, agetty, init, haveged) │ ├── Optional User-installed system-wide binaries (VirtualBox, DisplayLink) │ └── Standard For non-administrative tasks (pix, index, tree, rm, top) ├── Boot Kernel, initramfs, and GRUB files ├── Configuration System-wide configuration files ├── Devices Device nodes ├── Filesystems Mount points for storage devices │ ├── Internal Internal storage devices │ └── External External storage devices ├── Libraries System-wide libraries ├── Shareable System-wide resources └── Variable Variable system data /Users User home directories
Rationale
A user encountering /System/Configuration immediately understands its purpose. A user encountering /etc must already know Unix conventions. Aesthetic FHS prioritizes legibility over tradition.
Relationship to Immutability and the Rootless App Model
Aesthetic FHS reinforces the boundaries established by the immutable root-and-rootless app model.
/System contains the OS; this is the immutable layer. Everything under /System belongs to Nitrux and remains read-only under normal operation. The naming makes this relationship explicit: modifying /System means modifying the root itself, which requires deliberate action via overlayroot-chroot
/Users sits outside /System. It is the writable layers where user activity happens. AppBoxes installed via NX AppHub, Flatpaks, and Distrobox containers land in the user space.
The hierarchy visually separates what Nitrux controls from what users control:
/System → Immutable (Nitrux) /Users → Writable (user space)
Traditional FHS scatters these concerns across /usr, /opt, /home, /etc, and /var without clear boundaries.
Aesthetic FHS makes the architecture legible.