Fill

1. Different programs handle different kinds of data (text vs. pictures vs. spreadsheets, for example).
2. Different programmers simply pick different ways of doing the same thing. Sometimes, inventing a new format is a point of pride, or is necessary to avoid infringing someone else’s copyright or patent.
3. Even when the end result is the same, the way different programs achieve it may be very different. For example, a Windows Paintbrush picture is a bitmap (a large grid of dots), but a CorelDraw picture consists of vector graphics (instructions to draw lines or shapes in particular positions). The two kinds of pictures are very different from the computer’s point of view.
Many programs have the ability to import (bring in) files that are not in their own format. But the format of the imported file may not be very well suited to the way the program works, result- ing in a loss of quality or partial loss of information (disappear- ance of italics or footnotes, loss of graphics resolution, inability to edit the imported material, or the like). It is also possible to export files to a format other than the usual one, but again, loss of information may occur. See SAVE AS… . See also CONVERSION PROGRAM; EXTENSION.

File Management System

file management system software allowing you to keep track of your com- puter files. The term is typically used to refer to products that include fea- tures that go beyond the file management capabilities provided with the operating system. The system should keep track of when changes are made and who makes them; make sure that you don’t have two people trying to make changes to a file at the same time; and provide ways of indexing and searching so a specific file can be found easily. See also CMS.

file permissions see PERMISSION.

File Server

file server a computer that performs FILE SHARING. Contrast DISK SERVER.

File Sharing

file sharing the use of networking to make files available to computers other than the one that owns and manages them. With file sharing, every file exists on the server, which knows it by file name and manages its space. File sharing is essentially the same thing as NETWORK ATTACHED STORAGE (NAS). Contrast DISK SHARING, STORAGE AREA NETWORK.

Filename

filename the name of a file. See also 8.3 FILENAME; EXTENSION; FILE.

Usage note: Many publishers prefer to write file name as two words.

Filesystem

filesystem a method of using a disk, optical disc, or tape to store data in files. Different filesystems are used for different operating systems and media. For examples see CDFS; FAT32; NTFS.

Fill

fill (in graphics programs) the color of an object. Fills may be of a uniform tone, or they may contain shades that gradually change from one color to another. A fill may even be a pattern. See also LINEAR FILL; UNIFORM FILL.