Later, when magnetic tape came into computer use, “files” were still typically associated with the physical media itself (such as a “tape file”), since the data was stored in a linear fashion and associated with other records by its location on a physical tape spool.Īccording to the Encyclopedia of Computer Science by Anthony Ralston (1976), when random access magnetic disks came on the scene, the concept of a “computer file” began to break free from its physical constraints.
So at this time, a computer file was just a physical collection of records stored on paper. When it came time to load the data into the computer, someone would retrieve a “ file of punched cards” and load it into a machine for reading. When not in use, these stacks of cards were often stored in a file (a collection of related cards grouped together) within a special file cabinet or in large tubs called “tub files.” Workers pull punched cards from a tub file, circa 1960. Each card didn’t hold much information, so a program or set of records typically spanned a stack of punched cards. At the dawn of computing, many computers used punched cards to store data. A file can also be the name of the cabinet itself. In a paper-based office, a “file” is a set of documents stored together in a container or a drawer, such as in a file cabinet. Interestingly, the term “computer file” originated in the 1950s from a different (but related) metaphor. Today, thanks to graphical operating system icons, many people think of a file as being equivalent to a document such as as a piece of paper, or perhaps a photographic print.
A file can also be a program that tells a computer what to do.Īpplications use many files to work, including executable program files (that contain the instructions required to run the program), configuration files (that tell the program how to run), and data files that might store extra required information in a modular way.
Usually, each file represents a single document (such as a book report), a spreadsheet, a digital image, a video, a song, or otherwise. Files keep related data together so it isn’t lost or disorganized, and so you can find it when you need to read or process it.
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