One of the most frustrating things on a Mac is that the OS X Finder does not allow you to browse all paths.
Unlike Windows the Windows Explorer, where it is fairly easy to switch a preference for enabling/disabling showing the hidden files and folders, there is no option in the Preferences. There is a command-line trick (see below) to enable/disable showing hidden files and folders.
Luckily, both the Windows Explorer and the Mac OS X Finder allow you to specify the full folder path to browse, where you can enter a path that otherwise would (partially) be invisible.
- Windows Explorer: just enter a full path in the address bar.
- Mac OS X Finder: press Shift-Command-G (or
Menu
->Go
->Go to Folder...
), then enter the full path.
An alternative for Mac OS X is the payed (but great tool) Path Finder which is one of the best Finder replacements I know.