If you are a user of an operating system based on Unix (Unix-base) or Unix-like, such as Linux, BSD, OS X and so on. You must know on Unix, a directory home from a user represented by the symbol “~”.
When you are in Terminal and in a directory home from a user on your device.
Next to the name user and hostname in Terminal, it says a “~” symbol which indicates that you are in a directory home like the following picture:
The symbol “~” which is also called tilde This (in Indonesian is called the worm sign) is a symbol used to represent a Home directory on Unix and other Unix-based operating systems.
By using this symbol, you can enter the Home directory more easily.
For example, when you are in another directory that is far away, you can switch to another directory home easily use commands CD and use “~” as a representation home.
Using this command is the same as using the command “cd /home/username” or “cd $HOME“.
Also when you want to move a file from a specific location or directory to the Home directory, you can use this worm sign to represent the Home folder where the file is moved.
Not only on Linux, all operating systems based on Unix (Unix-base) and Unix-like also use the same thing, including on BSD and OS X.
Then why the worm sign became a symbol and used to represent Home on Unix and its derivatives?
It started as a Lear-Siegler ADM-3A Terminal device which was in general use in the 1970s. The device has a keyboard key that has a “~” symbol or a worm sign and the word “Home” on the same key.
At that time, the Home button is used to move the cursor to the very top left of the Terminal.
The use of the “~” symbol and the word “Home” on the same key was maintained at that time until Unix also adopted the symbol as a representation of Home.
So that all Unix-based operating systems (Unix-base) and Unix-like such as Linux, BSD, OS X and the like use the sign tilde as a representation of the Home directory.
But on layout Today’s modern keyboard, the use of the worm sign and Home on the same key is no longer done, generally Home has its own button, as well as the worm sign.
