~upd~: File

To navigate the digital landscape, it's helpful to categorize files by their function:

Inside that box, there is raw data (the 1s and 0s of binary code). However, raw data is useless without context. That’s why every file has a and an extension (like .pdf or .jpg ). These tell the computer exactly how to decode the binary data inside the box so that it displays as a photograph, a song, or a text document on your screen. To navigate the digital landscape, it's helpful to

Apps like Spotify and Netflix don't ask you to locate an .mp3 or .mp4 file. They stream from a database. Email attachments are being replaced by links to documents in shared drives. These tell the computer exactly how to decode

Keep 3 copies of important files, on 2 different types of media, with 1 copy stored off-site (the cloud). Email attachments are being replaced by links to

Understanding files means understanding three things:

| Category | Extensions | Purpose | |----------|------------|---------| | | .txt , .log , .md | Unformatted human-readable characters. | | Document | .pdf , .docx , .odt | Formatted text, images, layout. | | Image | .jpg , .png , .gif , .bmp | Raster/vector graphics. | | Audio | .mp3 , .wav , .flac | Sound data (compressed/uncompressed). | | Video | .mp4 , .avi , .mkv | Moving images with audio. | | Executable | .exe (Windows), .app (macOS), .out (Linux) | Machine code that can be run as a program. | | Archive | .zip , .tar.gz , .7z | Container for compressed files/folders. | | System | .dll , .sys , .so | Used by OS or applications, not intended for direct user access. |