What does "opt" mean (as in the "opt" directory)? I commonly see this directory in Unix systems with development tools inside.
Is it an abbreviation?
This question is related to
linux
unix
directory
terminology
It's usually describes as for optional add-on software packagessource, or anything that isn't part of the base system. Only some distributions use it, others simply use /usr/local.
It is an abbreviation for 'optional' , used for optional software in some distros.
Add-on software packages.
See http://www.pathname.com/fhs/2.2/fhs-3.12.html for details.
Also described at Wikipedia.
Its use dates back at least to the late 1980s, when it was a standard part of System V UNIX. These days, it's also seen in Linux, Solaris (which is SysV), OSX Cygwin, etc. Other BSD unixes (FreeBSD, NetBSD, etc) tend to follow other rules, so you don't usually see BSD systems with an /opt unless they're administered by someone who is more comfortable in other environments.
OPTional
It holds optional software and packages that you install that are not required for the system to run.
Source: Stackoverflow.com