/dev folder not showing up in Finder

Question

/dev folder not showing up in Finder

I have this system folder called /dev. My best guess is it's interfaces with hardware and hardware-to-software connections. I can list, cd, and even figure out the file type of the folder and files inside of it. I cannot concatenate (with cat or less) or GetFileInfo. However, when I try to open the folder in Finder, it shows either my currently open window or no window, and when I try to open files inside I get a "Doesn't exist", "Permission Denied", "No Editor" or another error, depending on which app I try to open the file with. But I know it exists because Terminal can find it. How can I open this folder in Finder or open the files inside of it with other apps? Here is a screenshot of me attempting to read a file in /dev with less:

and opening with TextEdit:

Posted on Dec 12, 2020 5:29 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Nicholascronan Author

Level 1

17 points

Dec 12, 2020 5:44 AM in response to Nicholascronan

Should even be accessing it?

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

56,384 points

Dec 12, 2020 4:53 PM in response to Nicholascronan

The /dev directory is not meant to be read and especially not written by any standard utilities. The directory contains the low level links to the raw character & block devices. The information here is not going to be recognizable to most users. There is a reason that macOS hides certain system areas from end users.

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Answer 3

HWTech

Level 9

56,384 points

Dec 13, 2020 8:40 AM in response to Nicholascronan

Users need to remain in their own user home folder. The user's home folder is the only area a user should be working especially modifying files. Anywhere outside of the user's home folder is considered the macOS system area and should not be touched unless the user knows what they are doing.

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Answer 4

Dec 14, 2020 3:42 PM in response to HWTech

I DO know what I'm doing. I know MacOS inside and out, and I know what's safe and what Isn't. Seriously. I know coding and Terminal and explore files a lot. Basically, I deffinetley know what i'm doing. And I really don't need or use my Home Folder (I store everything in my iCloud drive-long story). I'm not a regular user and I know the system very well.

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Answer 5

HWTech

Level 9

56,384 points

Dec 15, 2020 4:59 PM in response to Nicholascronan

No insult was intended, it is just that many users decide to have a look around without knowing anything about the inner workings of macOS so they end up getting into trouble when they don't read up on these things first.

I hope you have some sort of backup for the data you have stored in the cloud since iCloud is not a replacement for a dedicated backup. Any data stored in iCloud needs to have a backup in case you accidentally delete an important file or you accidentally make an unwanted change to a file.

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