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| Directory Assistance, Please? Directories in the Computer World |
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Directory Assistance, Please? Directories in the Computer World
Directories, in computer science parlance, are the listings of
files, documents, and other directories within a file system.
Most people think of directories as electronic folders that
contain various files.
A directory is one of the first concepts anyone learning
computers encounters aside from files. He or she soon learns
that these files are all contained in a listing called the
directory.
Who could forget the early DOS days when the command of choice
was "dir c:\"?
A directory contained inside another directory is called a
subdirectory of that directory. Together, the directories form a
hierarchy, or tree structure. Organization of file systems into
such makes for a more organized hierarchy.
It allows the files to be grouped according to the owner's
desire, and presents a more organized alternative to just having
all the files dumped into one listing.
Microsoft Windows and the Mac OS use folders to represent
directories. This helps the user to visualize the directory as a
folder that contains many papers and documents. The papers and
documents represent files in the system.
With this tree hierarchy Windows and MacOS supports, one cannot
just simply access a file from any point. He or she must access
the file using a path.
For example, if the user is currently browing folder x, the only
files he or she can access are the files listed in that folder.
To access files found in folder y, the user must traverse the
path from one directory to its subdirectory until he or she
finally accesses the folder or directory that contains the file
needed.
Historically, and even on some modern embedded devices, the file
systems either do not support directories at all or only have a
flat directory structure. This means subdirectories are not
allowed.
There is only a group of top-level directories that containing
files. This is similar to just having one directory for all your
files.
The topmost directory in a file system is called the root
directory. These directories contain other directories that are
fittingly called subdirectories. The subdirectories may also
contain subdirectories. This can go on and on indefinitely.
Depending on how an operating system supports directories,
filenames in a directory can be viewed and ordered in various
ways. They can be viewed and sorted alphabetically, by date, by
size, or as icons in a graphical user interface.
The word directory is also used in computing and telephony with
a different sense: a central repository of information related
to management of a computer or a network of computers.
This includes data on applications, hosts, users, network
devices, security credentials and more. This kind of directory,
as opposed to a conventional database, is heavily optimized for
easy reading.
Everybody who uses computers uses directories. Only, he or she
may not notice it, or may not be aware of how this concept
works. Most people make the most out of the directory concept by
using it to organize their files.
If all their files were just dumped in a root directory, they
would waste much time just trying to sort out the files that
they need.
The concept of directories is constantly evolving. Even now,
software developers and researchers are constantly devising ways
to make organizing and sorting their files and directories
easier. And as this researching continues, users can only gain
from the tools directory management brings.
About the author:
James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of InfoTyphoon.com and writes
expert articles about directories.
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| Category
computer software and internet |
Author
David Gabbitas |
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