Louis Pasteur

A binary file ( binary file in English), is a electronic file who is not comparable to a Textual file.

To describe this organization, one speaks about Format of file.

Goal

With the beginning of the year 1980, the binary formats of files are systematized in the microprocessing environments, where the obstruction memory is critical. Indeed, a binary format is often more compact than a format of Textual file (it occupies less space in the Random access memory and on the peripheral of storage). The obstruction memory is not sufficient with him to only explain this expansion.

Files owners

A binary format of file can be free (example the format of file of Gimp XCF), But, as it is difficult to include/understand the significance of it, it is necessary to apply methods of Ingénierie to him reverses, which slows down comprehension of it. By his format of secret binary file held (Format closed), an editor of software owners can keep the seizure on his customers by limiting the Interopérabilité of his files, because it is not very probable that its competitors succeed in carrying out an equivalent software which would exploit its format of binary file as well as its own software.

Under the Operating systems of the type Unix, on the other hand, the culture was directed much towards formats in rough text. This remains true: the files of configurations, in particular, are quasi-systématiquement readable by any text editor.

The binary files most current are the files of images, the formats owners of the office automation softwares ( word processing, Tableur S…) and the compiled applications.

See too

File (data-processing)
Format of file
Textual file
BIEW is Binary vIEW project

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