file
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}.
(1997-04-08)