in latin, filum means a thread or string. these connect things, tie stuff together.
file manager/explorer allows users to directly manioulate files but not necessarily view their content. files have homes, including directories/folders, so you can move them, and they may also be brought into and out of existence here (created, deleted).
while a file is a container for data, its content may vary. sometimes, the format of a file is indicated by its filename extension e.g. .png, .jpg, .pdf, .txt. these tell platforms how to organize and interpret bytes*, or 8-bit units of digital information, or the smallest addressable unit of memory in common computer architecture. most of the time, a few bytes are allocated for metadata, allowing a file to know who it is.
*ascii or utf-8 encoded characters
if it is to exist at all, a file, it being abstract, must have a real physical analogue. most operating systems store files on a hard disk/drive, the "ubiquitous form of non-volatile storage since the early 1960s." non-volatile means the data remains there even when the power goes off. volatile is the opposite.
--> what sort of information does an operating system/hard drive have tho?
--> when we say temporary information is on ram, what's that?