< operating system , storage > A single file containing flat ASCII representing or encoding some structure, e.g. of a database , tree, or network. Flat files can be processed with general purpose tools (e.g. awk or Perl ) and text editors but are often less efficient than some kind of binary file if they must be parsed repeatedly by a program. Flat files are more portable between different operating systems and application programs than binary files, and are more easily transmitted in electronic mail .
See also flatten , sharchive .
[ Jargon File ]
(1996-01-26)