Linux directory starting with dot

Question

Is there anything special about directories which start with a dot . in Linux (Ubuntu), such as ~/.vim? Thanks.

Answer 1

Files and directories whose names begin with a dot (.) by default are not displayed in directory listings by the standard command ls. Therefore, they are traditionally used to store settings, preferences, etc.. Directory ~/.vim in particular surely contains personal preferences and settings for the text editor vim.

There are also two special directory names in this class: the directory named simply . is an alias for the same directory in which it appears (a self reference), and the directory named .. refers to the parent directory of ..

Many graphical file browsers ignore the convention of hiding file names beginning with a ., so it is not necessarily correct any longer to call these files "hidden". Nevertheless, that terminology persists.