16.2) Column Definitions

The names of the files or directories are shown on the far right hand side, column 9. Column 8 indicates when the file was last modified (either a time or a year if it was long ago), columns 6 and 7 give the date of the last modification (either when it was last modified or when it was first created).
Column 5 tells you the size of the file. Directories will appear as 4096 (in units of bytes). The files will vary depending on how large they are and are reported in bytes as well. If you would like it reported in kilobytes then type ls –lk (note, a 1024 Bytes = 1 KiloByte since computers use binary). Column 3 is your user name as you are the owner of these files or directories and column 4 indicates the group that you are associated with. Your system administrator will assign you to a group and you can control how people in your group interact with your files and directories in this column. People in your group will have different usernames but are considered collaborators and so you can give them more access for instance than other people that you don’t know.
Your computer system administrator sets these permissions when you first get your account. I will not address column 2 as it is not important at this stage.