directories. These contain manual pages, info pages, and other
documentation, respectively. And don't forget /usr/games!

/usr/local
The Debian system doesn't install anything in this directory. You
should use it if you want to install software that you compile
yourself or any software not contained in a Debian package. You
can also install software in your home directory if you'll be the
only one using it.

/etc
/etc contains all the system-wide configuration files. Whenever
you want to change something that affects all users of your
computer - such as how you connect to the Internet or what kind of
video card you have - you'll probably have to log on as root and
change a file in /etc.

/tmp
Here you'll find temporary files, most of them created by the
system. This directory is generally erased on a regular basis or
every time you reboot the system. You can create files here if you
want, just be aware that they might get deleted automatically.

/var
/var contains ``variable'' files that the system changes
automatically. For example, incoming mail is stored here. The
system keeps a log of its actions here. There are a number of
other automatically generated files here as well. You'll mostly be
interested in the contents of /var/log, where you can find error
messages that can help you figure out what you're system's up to