I think the source of confusion is that linking is closely associated with chains. When you add a link to a chain you always add the new link to the existing ch

I think the source of confusion is that linking is closely associated with chains. When you add a link to a chain you always add the new link to the existing chain or ln -s new_link (onto) existing(chain) Obviously the target isn't a chain but the association between links and chains is a strong one. In other words I don't think of creating a link as creating something new _from_ something that already exists, I think of it as adding something new _to_ something that already exists.