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I suspect that the question is just poorly worded - I think he meant to ask "why are programs in linux so hard to find" (if you look at his other questions they are not mega technical but they are also not questions that a novice would be posting)

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I suspect this too. Still, who goes to Program Files to find programs in Windows? I've seldom seen this. Most Windows users I know start programs either from desktop shortcuts or from the start menu, and wouldn't know their way around Program Files (note: I'm talking about Windows XP, 7, etc. No idea how the newer Windowses work).

I don't think he is looking to execute the programs. He is looking to inspect the program files. This could be anything from looking for assets, to manually editing config files or adding a cracked DLL to make photoshop run.

When I was a teenager I would lurk around there a lot to "hack" stuff.

Indeed. Also, assuming you're installing programs to their default locations, Program Files used to be[0] the single location where you could get an accurate overview of installed applications. Both the Start Menu and Add/Remove Programs lists are way too cluttered by various Windows additions and/or third-party bullshit.

[0] - I don't know how's the situation with Windows 10, but on Windows 8 I've noticed some stuff tends to install to %APPDATA% instad.

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