I've been admining Linux systems for 25 years, and I still have to check which one it is every time.
I appreciate people saying that it's like `cp` or `mount`, but in my head the natural order of thinking about this operation is reversed: it's "create a link to this file" not "make this file also known as this link." Hence two competing "gut feelings" about which should come first. It also doesn't help that commands like "alias" work the opposite direction ("make a new command that is actually this another command").

Anyway, it was really just an observation that I confuse this all the time, and I'm not the greenest Linux admin around. :)
@monsieuricon With time everything will fit in place, your gut feelings will be gone, and ln will behave like cp.
(BTW: alias is different: it has a single parameter that is an assignment)

Yes, but what about tar?

@waltertross @monsieuricon