|
|
|
Building Your Own Computer From Components
Building Your Own Computer
Many people that use a computer daily and depend on their
computer to operate at peak performance are looking towards
customizing their own computers. Today, most people either buy
their computers off the shelf or...
Computer Do's and Don'ts
Here are a few helpful pointers for your computer experience.
DON'T
Store personal information on your computer or PDA. Stored data is always open to hackers. Consider storing passwords on CD's or disks that you keep locked in a box or closet....
How Antivirus Software Works and What it Does
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included and all links are made active. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated: published@antivirus-report.com ...
See How To Revive A Dead Computer
Its not something we like to think about but your computer will fail, if you keep it long enough.It may be a simple problem,such as the floppy drive not reading the disk to a major system crash. Because computers are run by operators,User Error...
Use the HOSTS File to Block Web Sites
---------------------------------------------------------- Permission is granted for the article below to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|