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briandominick / codewriting

Source for Codewriting (book) and the Codewriting/Code the Docs (site/blog)
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Docs in Flat Files #35

Open lief-erickson opened 6 years ago

lief-erickson commented 6 years ago

One dictionary definition of flat file is a file that does not have internal hierarchy. I don't think that's the what is meant here. Is text-based file what's intended?

I would suggest that flat file be defined or that flat file be changed to text-based. Perhaps:

A flat file is any text-based file. It may be a plain text file, a Python or JavaScript file, or Markdown or even HTML or XML file, including a large number of other file types.

briandominick commented 6 years ago

Oh yeah I'll definitely define it. I'd never heard the non-hierarchical definition. Among developers flat file just means non-binary. Though Wikipedia defines a binary file such:

A binary file is a computer file that is not a text file. The term "binary file" is often used as a term meaning "non-text file".

That should clear it right up ;-)

briandominick commented 6 years ago

I think the term "text file" doesn't really do it, because so many people think in terms of text vs code, so text file sounds like it can't have code in it, or at least not functional code even if markup is accepted.