A file format is a particular way to encode information for storage in a
computer file.Since a
disk drive, or indeed any
computer storage, can store only
bits, the computer must have some way of converting
information to 0s and 1s and vice-versa. There are different kinds of formats for different kinds of information. Within any format type, e.g.,
word processor documents, there will typically be several different formats. Sometimes these formats compete with each other.
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<
file format> The kind of data stored in a file. Most modern
operating systems use the
filename extension to determine the file type though some store this information elsewhere in the
file system. The file type is used to choose an appropriate icon to represent the file in a
GUI and the correct
application with which to view, edit, run, or print the file.
Different operating systems support different sets of file types though most agree on a large common set and allow arbitrary new types to be defined.
See also
MIME.
[URL of list of file types?]
(1997-02-13)
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