failure
The inability of a computer system or related device to operate reliably or to operate at all. A common cause of system failure is loss of power.
FAQ
Acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. A document listing common questions and answers on particular subject.
fault tolerance
The ability of a computer or an operating system to respond to a catastrophic event or fault, such as a power outage or a hardware failure, in a way that ensures that no data is lost and any work in progress is not corrupted. This can be accomplished with a battery-backed power supply, backup hardware, provisions in the operating system or any combination of these.
file
A complete, named collection of information that is saved by a user and stored on a disk. Technically, a file can contain program code, data used by a program, or a user-created data. Most commonly, however, the term refers to data (numbers, words, or images) that a user has created and then saved for subsequent retrieval, editing or printing.
filename
The name of a file. All files have names. Different operating systems impose different restrictions on filenames. Most operating systems, for example, prohibit the use of certain characters in a filename and impose a limit on the length of a filename. In addition, many systems, including DOS and UNIX, allow a filename extension that consists of one or more characters following the proper filename.
filename extension
The filename extension allows a file's format to be described as part of its name so that users can quickly understand the type of file it is without having to "open" or try to use it. The filename extension also helps an application program recognize whether a file is a type that it can work with. The extension takes the form of ".xxx" where "xxx" represents a specific number of alphanumeric characters. Example: Myfilename.doc, where ".doc" is an extension representing the Microsoft Word application.
firmware
Programming that is inserted into programmable read-only memory (PROM), thus becoming a permanent part of a computing device. Firmware is created and tested like other software. It can also be distributed like other software and installed in the PROM by the user. Firmware is sometimes distributed for printers, modems and other computer devices.
four-digit year
A date format that uses four digits for the year and specifies the century in a fully distinguished form. For example, "1998" is a four-digit year, but "98" is not.
FTP
Acronym for File Transfer Protocol, the protocol used for copying files to and from remote computer systems on a network, such as the Internet, using TCP/IP.
