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81-702: DOS Shell is a file manager that debuted in MS-DOS and PC DOS version 4.0, released in June 1988. It was no longer included in MS-DOS version 6, but remained part of the Supplemental Disk. The Supplemental Disk could be ordered or could be downloaded through Microsoft's FTP server. DOS Shell was retained in PC ;DOS until PC DOS 2000 . DOS Shell was one of the first successful attempts to create

162-411: A double-click . The shell could be run by the command " DOSSHELL ". It had the ability to set simple colours and styles. The shell also has a help system, a program list, and a task swapper. Like many modern file managers, it had the ability to display dual hierarchy directory and file lists, i.e. left and right panes , displaying both a list of directory contents and the hierarchical file path to

243-462: A hard disk . Hard disks have been the ubiquitous form of non-volatile storage since the early 1960s. Where files contain only temporary information, they may be stored in RAM . Computer files can be also stored on other media in some cases, such as magnetic tapes , compact discs , Digital Versatile Discs , Zip drives , USB flash drives , etc. The use of solid state drives is also beginning to rival

324-428: A link to the file. There can be many links to a file, but when they are all removed, the kernel considers that file's memory space free to be reallocated. This free space is commonly considered a security risk (due to the existence of file recovery software ). Any secure-deletion program uses kernel-space (system) functions to wipe the file's data. File moves within a file system complete almost immediately because

405-437: A three-dimensional method of displaying files and directory structures. Three-dimensional file browsing has not become popular; the exact implementation tends to differ between projects, and there are no common standards to follow. Examples of three-dimensional file managers include: Web-based file managers are typically scripts written in either PHP , Ajax , Perl , ASP or another server-side language . When installed on

486-454: A FAT extension allowing long file names). File manager programs are utility programs that allow users to manipulate files directly. They allow you to move, create, delete and rename files and folders, although they do not actually allow you to read the contents of a file or store information in it. Every computer system provides at least one file-manager program for its native file system. For example, File Explorer (formerly Windows Explorer)

567-577: A basic graphical user interface (GUI) type file manager in DOS, although it is properly referred to as a text user interface (TUI) or Character-Oriented Windows (COW) even though graphical modes were available on supported hardware ( VGA -equipped PCs). The shell is very much like a DOS version of File Manager found in Windows up to versions 3.11 and NT 3.51 , and File Explorer on later versions. An early incarnation of DOS Shell, titled MS-DOS Manager ,

648-525: A computer file. Files can be shared with and transferred between computers and mobile devices via removable media , networks , or the Internet . Different types of computer files are designed for different purposes. A file may be designed to store a written message, a document, a spreadsheet , an image , a video , a program , or any wide variety of other kinds of data. Certain files can store multiple data types at once. By using computer programs,

729-427: A device, no space will have been freed up on the source device or partition. The user would need to merge the remaining files from the source, including the incompletely written (truncated) last file. With the individual deletion method, the file moving software also does not need to cumulatively keep track of all files finished transferring for the case that a user manually aborts the file transfer. A file manager using

810-524: A directory and a file. In environments in which a file is named, a file's name and the path to the file's directory must uniquely identify it among all other files in the computer system—no two files can have the same name and path. Where a file is anonymous, named references to it will exist within a namespace. In most cases, any name within the namespace will refer to exactly zero or one file. However, any file may be represented within any namespace by zero, one or more names. Any string of characters may be

891-518: A directory in the Navigation pane on the left designates it as the current directory, displaying its contents in the Contents pane on the right. However, expanding (+) or collapsing (-) a portion of the tree without selecting a directory will not alter the contents of the right pane. The exception to this behavior applies when collapsing a parent of the current directory, in which case the selection

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972-847: A dot (period) at the end of a file name, followed by a few letters to identify the type of file. An extension of .txt identifies a text file; a .doc extension identifies any type of document or documentation, commonly in the Microsoft Word file format ; and so on . Even when extensions are used in a computer system, the degree to which the computer system recognizes and heeds them can vary; in some systems, they are required, while in other systems, they are completely ignored if they are presented. Many modern computer systems provide methods for protecting files against accidental and deliberate damage. Computers that allow for multiple users implement file permissions to control who may or may not modify, delete, or create files and folders. For example,

1053-532: A file from. Sometimes, a folder is selected instead of a file or destination path. Some file pickers also allow file management to some degree, such as searching, moving, copying, renaming, and copying the path to clipboard. Some software might have a customized file picker. Computer file#Moving methods In computing , a computer file is a resource for recording data on a computer storage device , primarily identified by its filename . Just as words can be written on paper, so too can data be written to

1134-514: A given user may be granted only permission to read a file or folder, but not to modify or delete it; or a user may be given permission to read and modify files or folders, but not to execute them. Permissions may also be used to allow only certain users to see the contents of a file or folder. Permissions protect against unauthorized tampering or destruction of information in files, and keep private information confidential from unauthorized users. Another protection mechanism implemented in many computers

1215-446: A later point through overwriting. There are many ways by which a file can become corrupted. Most commonly, the issue happens in the process of writing the file to a disk . For example, if an image-editing program unexpectedly crashes while saving an image, that file may be corrupted because the program could not save its entirety. The program itself might warn the user that there was an error, allowing for another attempt at saving

1296-498: A list of files in the user's minidisk, and allowed sorting by any file attribute. The file attributes could be passed to scripts or function-key definitions, making it simple to use flist as part of CMS EXEC , EXEC 2 or XEDIT scripts. This program ran only on IBM VM/SP CMS, but was the inspiration for other programs, including filelist (a script run via the Xedit editor), and programs running on other operating systems, including

1377-440: A local server or on a remote server, they allow files and directories located there to be managed and edited, using a web browser, without the need for FTP Access . More advanced, and usually commercially distributed, web-based file management scripts allow the administrator of the file manager to configure secure, individual user accounts, each with individual account permissions. Authorized users have access to documents stored on

1458-420: A low level, on a file. Only the kernel deals with files, and it handles all user-space interaction with files in a manner that is transparent to the user-space programs. The operating system provides a level of abstraction , which means that interaction with a file from user-space is simply through its filename (instead of its inode ). For example, rm filename will not delete the file itself, but only

1539-406: A name of its own, but also a path, which identifies the folder or folders in which a file or folder resides. In the path, some sort of special character—such as a slash—is used to separate the file and folder names. For example, in the illustration shown in this article, the path /Payroll/Salaries/Managers uniquely identifies a file called Managers in a folder called Salaries , which in turn

1620-447: A navigational file manager often resembles a web browser , complete with back and forward buttons, and often reload buttons. Most also contain an address bar into which the file or directory path (or URI ) can be typed. Most navigational file managers have two panes, the left pane being a tree view of the filesystem. This means that unlike orthodox file managers, the two panes are asymmetrical in their content and use. Selecting

1701-494: A new "memory" vacuum tube it had developed, RCA stated: "the results of countless computations can be kept 'on file' and taken out again. Such a 'file' now exists in a 'memory' tube developed at RCA Laboratories. Electronically it retains figures fed into calculating machines, holds them in storage while it memorizes new ones – speeds intelligent solutions through mazes of mathematics." In 1952, "file" denoted, among other things, information stored on punched cards . In early use,

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1782-418: A number of bytes , that indicates how much storage is occupied by the file. In most modern operating systems the size can be any non-negative whole number of bytes up to a system limit. Many older operating systems kept track only of the number of blocks or tracks occupied by a file on a physical storage device. In such systems, software employed other methods to track the exact byte count (e.g., CP/M used

1863-443: A payroll file might contain information concerning all the employees in a company and their payroll details; each record in the payroll file concerns just one employee, and all the records have the common trait of being related to payroll—this is very similar to placing all payroll information into a specific filing cabinet in an office that does not have a computer. A text file may contain lines of text, corresponding to printed lines on

1944-648: A person can open, read, change, save, and close a computer file. Computer files may be reopened, modified, and copied an arbitrary number of times. Files are typically organized in a file system , which tracks file locations on the disk and enables user access. The word "file" derives from the Latin filum ("a thread, string"). "File" was used in the context of computer storage as early as January 1940. In Punched Card Methods in Scientific Computation , W. J. Eckert stated, "The first extensive use of

2025-429: A piece of paper. Alternatively, a file may contain an arbitrary binary image (a blob ) or it may contain an executable . The way information is grouped into a file is entirely up to how it is designed. This has led to a plethora of more or less standardized file structures for all imaginable purposes, from the simplest to the most complex. Most computer files are used by computer programs which create, modify or delete

2106-535: A program also called flist, which ran on OpenVMS , and FULIST (from the name of the corresponding internal IBM program), which runs on Unix . Orthodox file managers (sometimes abbreviated to "OFM") or command-based file managers are text-menu based file managers that commonly have three windows (two panels and one command line window). Orthodox file managers are one of the longest running families of file managers, preceding graphical user interface -based types. Developers create applications that duplicate and extend

2187-433: A special control character, Ctrl-Z , to signal the end of text files). The general definition of a file does not require that its size have any real meaning, however, unless the data within the file happens to correspond to data within a pool of persistent storage. A special case is a zero byte file ; these files can be newly created files that have not yet had any data written to them, or may serve as some kind of flag in

2268-436: A time. Orthodox file managers are among the most portable file managers. Examples are available on almost any platform, with both command-line and graphical interfaces. This is unusual among command line managers in that something purporting to be a standard for the interface is published. They are also actively supported by developers. This makes it possible to do the same work on different platforms without much relearning of

2349-438: A tree-like structure in which one "master folder" (or "root folder" — the name varies from one operating system to another) can contain any number of levels of other folders and files. Folders can be named just as files can (except for the root folder, which often does not have a name). The use of folders makes it easier to organize files in a logical way. When a computer allows the use of folders, each file and folder has not only

2430-419: A well-formed name for a file or a link depending upon the context of application. Whether or not a name is well-formed depends on the type of computer system being used. Early computers permitted only a few letters or digits in the name of a file, but modern computers allow long names (some up to 255 characters) containing almost any combination of Unicode letters or Unicode digits, making it easier to understand

2511-436: Is a read-only flag. When this flag is turned on for a file (which can be accomplished by a computer program or by a human user), the file can be examined, but it cannot be modified. This flag is useful for critical information that must not be modified or erased, such as special files that are used only by internal parts of the computer system. Some systems also include a hidden flag to make certain files invisible; this flag

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2592-578: Is a newer type of file manager. Since the advent of GUIs , it has become the dominant type of file manager for desktop computers. Typically, it has two panes, with the filesystem tree in the left pane and the contents of the current directory in the right pane. For macOS, the Miller columns view in Finder (originating in NeXTStep ) is a variation on the navigational file manager theme. The interface in

2673-553: Is achieved by allowing the user to browse for a file server (connecting and accessing the server's file system like a local file system) or by providing its own full client implementations for file server protocols. A term that predates the usage of file manager is directory editor . An early directory editor, DIRED , was developed circa 1974 at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory by Stan Kugell . A directory editor

2754-479: Is an area of memory which is manipulated to establish a filename etc. and then passed to the operating system as a parameter; it was used by older IBM operating systems and early PC operating systems including CP/M and early versions of MS-DOS . A file handle is generally either an opaque data type or an integer; it was introduced in around 1961 by the ALGOL-based Burroughs MCP running on

2835-420: Is contained in a folder called Payroll . The folder and file names are separated by slashes in this example; the topmost or root folder has no name, and so the path begins with a slash (if the root folder had a name, it would precede this first slash). Many computer systems use extensions in file names to help identify what they contain, also known as the file type. On Windows computers, extensions consist of

2916-464: Is corrupted. There are services that provide on demand file corruption, which essentially fill a given file with random data so that it cannot be opened or read, yet still seems legitimate. One of the most effective countermeasures for unintentional file corruption is backing up important files. In the event of an important file becoming corrupted, the user can simply replace it with the backed up version. When computer files contain information that

2997-613: Is extremely important, a back-up process is used to protect against disasters that might destroy the files. Backing up files simply means making copies of the files in a separate location so that they can be restored if something happens to the computer, or if they are deleted accidentally. There are many ways to back up files. Most computer systems provide utility programs to assist in the back-up process, which can become very time-consuming if there are many files to safeguard. Files are often copied to removable media such as writable CDs or cartridge tapes. Copying files to another hard disk in

3078-556: Is refocused on the collapsed parent directory, thus altering the list in the Contents pane. The process of moving from one location to another need not open a new window. Several instances of the file manager can be opened simultaneously and communicate with each other via drag-and-drop and clipboard operations, so it is possible to view several directories simultaneously and perform cut-and paste operations between instances. File operations are based on drag-and-drop and editor metaphors: users can select and copy files or directories onto

3159-435: Is used by the computer system to hide essential system files that users should not alter. Any file that has any useful purpose must have some physical manifestation. That is, a file (an abstract concept) in a real computer system must have a real physical analogue if it is to exist at all. In physical terms, most computer files are stored on some type of data storage device. For example, most operating systems store files on

3240-627: The mv command for instance, the former method is used when selecting files individually, possibly with the use of wildcards (example: mv -n sourcePath/* targetPath , while the latter method is used when selecting entire directories (example: mv -n sourcePath targetPath ). Microsoft Windows Explorer uses the former method for mass storage file moves, but the latter method using Media Transfer Protocol , as described in Media Transfer Protocol § File move behavior . The former method (individual deletion from source) has

3321-468: The Burroughs B5000 but is now ubiquitous. When a file is said to be corrupted, it is because its contents have been saved to the computer in such a way that they cannot be properly read, either by a human or by software. Depending on the extent of the damage, the original file can sometimes be recovered , or at least partially understood. A file may be created corrupt, or it may be corrupted at

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3402-619: The NTFS file system that is the normal file system for recent versions of Windows. Each system has its own advantages and disadvantages. Standard FAT allows only eight-character file names (plus a three-character extension) with no spaces, for example, whereas NTFS allows much longer names that can contain spaces. You can call a file " Payroll records " in NTFS, but in FAT you would be restricted to something like payroll.dat (unless you were using VFAT ,

3483-410: The archive file are to lower the number of files for easier transfer, to reduce storage usage, or just to organize outdated files. The archive file must often be unpacked before next using. The most basic operations that programs can perform on a file are: Files on a computer can be created, moved, modified, grown, shrunk ( truncated ), and deleted. In most cases, computer programs that are executed on

3564-407: The benefit that space is released from the source device or partition imminently after the transfer has begun, meaning after the first file is finished. With the latter method, space is only freed after the transfer of the entire selection has finished. If an incomplete file transfer with the latter method is aborted unexpectedly, perhaps due to an unexpected power-off, system halt or disconnection of

3645-413: The clipboard and then paste them in a different place in the filesystem or even in a different instance of the file manager. Notable examples of navigational file managers include: Spatial file managers use a spatial metaphor to represent files and directories as if they were actual physical objects. A spatial file manager imitates the way people interact with physical objects. Some ideas behind

3726-559: The computer handle these operations, but the user of a computer can also manipulate files if necessary. For instance, Microsoft Word files are normally created and modified by the Microsoft Word program in response to user commands, but the user can also move, rename , or delete these files directly by using a file manager program such as Windows Explorer (on Windows computers) or by command lines (CLI). In Unix-like systems, user space programs do not operate directly, at

3807-510: The concept of a spatial file manager are: As in navigational file managers, when a directory is opened, the icon representing the directory changes—perhaps from an image showing a closed drawer to an opened one, perhaps the directory's icon turns into a silhouette filled with a pattern—and a new window is opened to represent that directory. Examples of file managers that use a spatial metaphor to some extent include: Dysfunctional spatial file managers: Some projects have attempted to implement

3888-415: The current working directory. A mouse was supported, however, like any other DOS application, it required an appropriate device driver . One feature was the ability to list all files on a hard drive in a single alphabetized list along with the path and other attributes. This permitted the user to compare versions of a file in different directories by their attributes and easily spot duplicates. DOS Shell

3969-410: The data content does not need to be rewritten. Only the paths need to be changed. There are two distinct implementations of file moves. When moving files between devices or partitions, some file managing software deletes each selected file from the source directory individually after being transferred, while other software deletes all files at once only after every file has been transferred. With

4050-416: The display of columns that show relevant file information. The active panel and passive panel can be switched (often by pressing the tab key ). The following features describe the class of orthodox file managers. Other common features include: The introduction of tabbed panels in some file managers (for example Total Commander ) made it possible to manipulate more than one active and passive directory at

4131-440: The document file is arranged in a format that the word-processing program understands, the user is able to choose the name and location of the file and provide the bulk of the information (such as words and text) that will be stored in the file. Many applications pack all their data files into a single file called an archive file , using internal markers to discern the different types of information contained within. The benefits of

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4212-504: The early Hollerith Tabulator in astronomy was made by Comrie . He used it for building a table from successive differences, and for adding large numbers of harmonic terms". "Tables of functions are constructed from their differences with great efficiency, either as printed tables or as a file of punched cards ." In February 1950, in a Radio Corporation of America (RCA) advertisement in Popular Science magazine describing

4293-403: The existence of directory hierarchies, i.e., directories containing sub-directories. A name that refers to a file within a directory must be typically unique. In other words, there must be no identical names within a directory. However, in some operating systems, a name may include a specification of type that means a directory can contain an identical name for more than one type of object such as

4374-414: The file and the son is the current copy. The way a computer organizes, names, stores and manipulates files is globally referred to as its file system . Most computers have at least one file system. Some computers allow the use of several different file systems. For instance, on newer MS Windows computers, the older FAT-type file systems of MS-DOS and old versions of Windows are supported, in addition to

4455-414: The file system) file-specific data outside of the file format, but linked to the file, for example extended attributes or forks . On other file systems this can be done via sidecar files or software-specific databases. All those methods, however, are more susceptible to loss of metadata than container and archive file formats. At any instant in time, a file has a specific size, normally expressed as

4536-526: The file system, or are accidents (the results of aborted disk operations). For example, the file to which the link /bin/ls points in a typical Unix-like system probably has a defined size that seldom changes. Compare this with /dev/null which is also a file, but as a character special file , its size is not meaningful. Information in a computer file can consist of smaller packets of information (often called " records " or "lines") that are individually different but share some common traits. For example,

4617-461: The file transfer. Some file managers move multiple files by copying and deleting each selected file from the source individually, while others first copy all selected files, then delete them from the source afterwards, as described in computer file § Moving methods . Conflicting file names in a target directory may be handled through renaming, overwriting, or skipping. Renaming is typically numerical. Overwriting may be conditional, such as when

4698-423: The file. Some other examples of reasons for which files become corrupted include: Although file corruption usually happens accidentally, it may also be done on purpose as a mean of procrastination , as to fool someone else into thinking an assignment was ready at an earlier date, potentially gaining time to finish said assignment or making experiments, with the purpose of documenting the consequences when such file

4779-402: The files for their own use on an as-needed basis. The programmers who create the programs decide what files are needed, how they are to be used and (often) their names. In some cases, computer programs manipulate files that are made visible to the computer user. For example, in a word-processing program , the user manipulates document files that the user personally names. Although the content of

4860-439: The hard disk drive. In Unix-like operating systems, many files have no associated physical storage device. Examples are /dev/null and most files under directories /dev , /proc and /sys . These are virtual files: they exist as objects within the operating system kernel. As seen by a running user program, files are usually represented either by a file control block or by a file handle . A file control block (FCB)

4941-642: The interface. Sometimes they are called dual-pane managers, a term that is typically used for programs such as the Windows File Explorer (see below). But they have three panes including a command line pane below (or hidden behind) two symmetric panes. Furthermore, most of these programs allow using just one of the two larger panes with the second hidden. Some also add an item to the Context Menu in Windows to "Open two Explorers, side by side". Notable ones include: A navigational file manager

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5022-418: The latter (afterwards deletion) method will have to only delete the files from the source directory that have already finished transferring. In modern computer systems, files are typically accessed using names ( filenames ). In some operating systems, the name is associated with the file itself. In others, the file is anonymous, and is pointed to by links that have names. In the latter case, a user can identify

5103-560: The manager that was introduced by PathMinder and John Socha 's Norton Commander for DOS . The concept dates to the mid-1980s—PathMinder was released in 1984, and Norton Commander version 1.0 was released in 1986. Despite the age of this concept, file managers based on Norton Commander are actively developed, and dozens of implementations exist for DOS, Unix, and Microsoft Windows. Nikolai Bezroukov publishes his own set of criteria for an OFM standard (version 1.2 dated June 1997). An orthodox file manager typically has three windows. Two of

5184-474: The manager. For example, files can be copied or moved from the active panel to the location represented in the passive panel. This scheme is most effective for systems in which the keyboard is the primary or sole input device. The active panel shows information about the current working directory and the files that it contains. The passive (inactive) panel shows the content of the same or another directory (the default target for file operations). Users may customize

5265-413: The name of the link with the file itself, but this is a false analogue, especially where there exists more than one link to the same file. Files (or links to files) can be located in directories. However, more generally, a directory can contain either a list of files or a list of links to files. Within this definition, it is of paramount importance that the term "file" includes directories. This permits

5346-518: The purpose of a file at a glance. Some computer systems allow file names to contain spaces; others do not. Case-sensitivity of file names is determined by the file system . Unix file systems are usually case sensitive and allow user-level applications to create files whose names differ only in the case of characters. Microsoft Windows supports multiple file systems, each with different policies regarding case-sensitivity. The common FAT file system can have multiple files whose names differ only in case if

5427-439: The rise in popularity of dynamic web content management systems (CMS) and the need for non-technical website moderators to manage media on their websites powered by these platforms. An example is net2ftp , a PHP- and JavaScript-based FTP client. Operating systems typically ship a file picker , which allows specifying in which location to save a file (usually accessed through the "Save as" option in software), and where to open

5508-513: The rules for how the bytes must be organized and interpreted meaningfully. For example, the bytes of a plain text file ( .txt in Windows) are associated with either ASCII or UTF-8 characters, while the bytes of image, video, and audio files are interpreted otherwise. Most file types also allocate a few bytes for metadata , which allows a file to carry some basic information about itself. Some file systems can store arbitrary (not interpreted by

5589-402: The same computer protects against failure of one disk, but if it is necessary to protect against failure or destruction of the entire computer, then copies of the files must be made on other media that can be taken away from the computer and stored in a safe, distant location. The grandfather-father-son backup method automatically makes three back-ups; the grandfather file is the oldest copy of

5670-420: The server or in their individual user directories anytime, from anywhere, via a web browser. A web-based file manager can serve as an organization's digital repository. For example, documents, digital media, publishing layouts, and presentations can be stored, managed, and shared between customers, suppliers, and remote workers, or just internally. Web-based file managers are becoming increasingly popular due to

5751-405: The source and destination directories, transfer progress in percentage and/or size, progress bar, name of the file currently being transferred, remaining and/or total number of files, numerical transfer rate, and graphical transfer rate. The ability to pause the file transfer allows temporarily granting other software full sequential read access while allowing to resume later without having to restart

5832-529: The source file is newer or differs in size. Files could technically be compared with checksums , but that would require reading through the entire source and target files, which would slow down the process significantly on larger files. Some file managers contain features analogous to web browsers , including forward and back navigational buttons , an address bar, tabs , and a bookmark side bar. Some file managers provide network connectivity via protocols , such as FTP , HTTP , NFS , SMB or WebDAV . This

5913-611: The underlying hardware, rather than the contents stored on it, was denominated a "file". For example, the IBM 350 disk drives were denominated "disk files". The introduction, c.  1961 , by the Burroughs MCP and the MIT Compatible Time-Sharing System of the concept of a " file system " that managed several virtual "files" on one storage device is the origin of the contemporary denotation of

5994-580: The user uses a disk editor to edit the file names in the directory entries . User applications, however, will usually not allow the user to create multiple files with the same name but differing in case. Most computers organize files into hierarchies using folders, directories, or catalogs. The concept is the same irrespective of the terminology used. Each folder can contain an arbitrary number of files, and it can also contain other folders. These other folders are referred to as subfolders. Subfolders can contain still more files and folders and so on, thus building

6075-425: The windows are called panels and are positioned symmetrically at the top of the screen. The third is the command line, which is essentially a minimized command (shell) window that can be expanded to full screen. Only one of the panels is active at a given time. The active panel contains the "file cursor". Panels are resizable and can be hidden. Files in the active panel serve as the source of file operations performed by

6156-402: The word. Although the contemporary " register file " demonstrates the early concept of files, its use has greatly decreased. On most modern operating systems , files are organized into one-dimensional arrays of bytes . The format of a file is defined by its content since a file is solely a container for data. On some platforms the format is indicated by its filename extension , specifying

6237-556: Was neptune . It ran on the Xerox Alto in the 1973-1974 time frame. It had some of the same features that would end up in orthodox file managers. Another such file manager is flist, which was introduced sometime before 1980 on the Conversational Monitor System . This is a variant of FULIST, which originated before late 1978, according to comments by its author, Theo Alkema. The flist program provided

6318-488: Was bundled exclusively with the Eazy PC , an IBM PC clone manufactured by Zenith Data Systems in 1987. In MS-DOS 4.x and 5.x, the program was implemented as COM file ( DOSSHELL.COM ). In MS-DOS 6 the executable had an .EXE filename extension ( DOSSHELL.EXE ). The shell includes common features seen in other file managers such as copying, moving and renaming files as well as the ability to launch applications with

6399-399: Was capable of multitasking. System performance was much higher, with complete access to extended memory . File manager Graphical file managers may support copying and moving of files through " copy and paste " and "cut and paste" respectively, as well as through drag and drop , and a separate menu for selecting the target path. While transferring files, a file manager may show

6480-411: Was incapable of full multitasking . It supported rudimentary task switching; it could switch between programs running in memory , at the cost of performance hit. However, all the running programs had to fit into conventional memory area, as there was no support for swapping to disk. In time, Windows 3.1x , with its own graphical user interface, became much more popular among computer users. Windows

6561-596: Was written for EXEC 8 at the University of Maryland, and was available to other users at that time. The term was used by other developers, including Jay Lepreau , who wrote the dired program in 1980, which ran on BSD . This was in turn inspired by an older program with the same name running on TOPS-20 . Dired inspired other programs, including dired , the editor script (for emacs and similar editors), and ded . File-list file managers are lesser known and older than orthodox file managers. One such file manager

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