File
<file system> An element of data storage in a
file system.
The history of computing is rich in varied kinds of files and file systems, whether ornate (e.g.,
Macintosh file system for a well-known case) or deficient (e.g., many simple pre-1980s file systems don't allow directories).
However, the prototypical file has these characteristics:
* It is a single sequence of bytes (but consider
Macintosh resource forks).
* It has a finite length, unlike, e.g. a
Unix device.
* It is stored in a
non-volatile storage medium (but see ramdrive).
* It exists (nominally) in a
directory.
* It has a name that it can be referred to by in file operations, possibly in combination with its
path.
Additionally, a file system may associate other information with a file, such as
permission bits or other file attributes; timestamps for file creation, last revision, and last access; revision numbers (a` la VMS), and other kinds of
magic.
Compare:
document.
