I was wondering when they would show up :) . Considering I just got a Mac, I have an open mind towards all OS but this was just plain out funny when I identified myself as a linux fan. Here’s a little exchange between myself and a Mac enthusiast (not there’s anything wrong with that ;) – seinfeld joke)

me: I come from a linux background and was trying to save a cool wallpaper into the “default” images directory and hence the question. Once you guys pointed to the path, I created a pointer to it from my home directory so it’s easy to remember and access.

Forum Poster: Hmmm.  No reason not to have an alias to the folder, but perhaps no reason to have one, either.  OS X is a bit more advanced than Linux, at least in this regard (most of us believe in many regards, but that’s a different discussion).  If you open the Desktop & Screensaver preference pane, you’ll notice that there are several “default” directories that are referenced, and you can add any you like as a user.  Perhaps most germane to this discussion is the fact that your “Pictures” folder is included as a referenced directory; any pictures or sub-directories you store in that location (which is obviously where it is intended you store them) will be available in the preference pane.  Again, you can add to the “source list” any other directories you like.

Doing things this way, as opposed to the “Linux way,” means that you never move something out of your HOME folder.  This is one of the billions of ways OS X help to keep your entire “profile” portable, either between installations on the same machine, or to another machine entirely.  Format the hard drive and reinstall OS X, then migrate a backed up HOME folder, and your favorite Desktop picture will not be included using the “Linux way.”  Do the same while remaining within the OS X paradigms, and you’ll automatically log in to see that favorite Desktop background.

As OS X has matured, we’ve seen this paradigm of staying exclusively within one’s HOME folder become more and more a reality.  There have been fewer and fewer reasons to modify anything outside the HOME folder, and fewer and fewer opportunities.
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