Directory means a listing. You are referring to the list of names of some items.
I'm usually working with folders that actually contain files and other folders. It's often closed, so the content is not shown. A folder is a container.
Wikipedia clarifies this difference.
A telephone directory does not contain telephones.
meh. folder is 2 syllables, directory is like 4. I'm lazy. If someone gave me a clear one syllable alternative that others would know what I meant (even if while cringing), i'd probably start using that instead. I've tried just "dir", but no one ever knows wtf i'm saying.
Yep, while this meme is funny and in jest. If someone actually seriously gave me shit for saying "folder" or "directory" I would have to ask them what Stallman's toe nails actually taste like. Because that is up there with his level of being rigid about something that I just can't stand.
While conversing with Linux users, they should know what dir means... I mean, even if they don't use the terminal that often, dir is often used in GUIs as well in Linux.
I might should clarify that when using "dir" verbally no one knows what I'm saying, but maybe how I pronounce it in my head isn't how everyone else does, lol. In text it's plenty clear, imo.
Idk about hierarchy but PATH is a thing and the proper terminology is filepath, so the word path becomes ambiguated as it could be used to refer to either. Hence why I say it is bad practice to use it as a primary reference in conversation. Otherwise you'll get interns and users modifying their PATH for no damn reason and wondering why nothing works.