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One use for @sys, as we have seen above, is in the naming of
directories to contain binary files. Binary files are programs that
have been compiled and are ready to run. These files are different
for different machine architectures; VAX binaries will not run on a
Sun or a DEC or an RT. Therefore, these files are often kept in
separate directories. Many lockers use @sys itself as the
names of these directories. Thus a single command, such as
/afs/sipb/project/sipb/@sys/xscreensaver, can be used to
start an application, such as xscreensaver, on any machine. However,
you should note that there is no fixed convention for the naming of
these directories. Although using @sys might be ``most
standard,'' some lockers use different names, such as
bin/@sys, bin.@sys, or bin as a symbolic
link to .bin/@sys. Since the convention has not been fully
established, be aware that different lockers sometimes use different
methods. Note again that attaching a locker with the command
add puts the correct pathname into your path; you will be
able to execute the correct binary by simply typing the
filename.