<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}.

	(1997-04-08)

<data> To read data that is not in the native format of the
	application.  For example, a {web browser} will have its own
	way of storing {bookmarks} but it will usually provide a
	function to import bookmarks from {Internet Explorer}.  The
	alternative is to provide an independent external conversion
	utility but this is usually less convenient for the user.

	(2004-11-15)

1. (Or "finite", "isolated") In {domain theory}, an element d
	of a {cpo} D is compact if and only if, for any {chain} S, a
	subset of D,

		d <= lub S  =>  there exists s in S such that d <= s.

	I.e. you always reach d (or better) after a finite number of
	steps up the chain.

	("<=" is written in {LaTeX} as {\sqsubseteq}).

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1995-01-13)

	2. Of a design, describes the valuable property that it can
	all be apprehended at once in one's head.  This generally
	means the thing created from the design can be used with
	greater facility and fewer errors than an equivalent tool that
	is not compact.  Compactness does not imply triviality or lack
	of power; for example, {C} is compact and {Fortran} is not,
	but C is more powerful than Fortran.  Designs become
	non-compact through accreting {features} and {cruft} that
	don't merge cleanly into the overall design scheme (thus, some
	fans of {Classic C} maintain that {ANSI C} is no longer
	compact).

	(1995-01-13)

<spelling> American spelling of {colour}.

	(1996-12-13)