Computer Fundamentals for Teachers
Competency # 1 Computer Operation Skills
Module #1.4.1

Name a Document

Getting there

This gets intense really fast!
First we will explain some conventions for old DOS computers.   Then we will move to WINDOWS computers.  Finally we will touch on MACINTOSH computers.

DOS computer file systems

On these computers, disks are referred to by the title of the disk drive they are in.  Generally, floppy disks are located in drive A: (the drives are named alphabetically).  The C: drive is usually the hard drive (an internal disk that is not removable). 
On these disks, information is stored in discrete units called FILES.   These files could all just sit on a disk (much like papers sitting on a desk).   This would be rather dis-organized.
The solution is to organize the files into DIRECTORIES.
Directories are very much like storage boxes for files.  Just like in a storage box, you can only see the label (name of the box) from the outside.  You must "go into" the box to see the contents.
Files must be named so they can be accessed.  The standard scheme for DOS allowed up to eight characters (slashes, dots and unusual characters are not valid for this purpose).   These eight characters could then be followed by a period and three more characters.  This last section is called an EXTENSION.
Many programs used a characteristic extension for their files.  These three letters helped the user and the computer to recognize the relationship between files and the program that created them.

Windows computers

These computers can have significantly more characters.  The file names still have extensions.  Sometimes the extension is hidden from the user.   Directories in this system are often seen as folder icons.

Macintosh

These computers find the name of the disk to be more important than the drive that the disk is in.  Thus, the computer remembers not only the name of the disk, but also the contents of the disk.  The disks for these computers are harder to identify as internal and external since the name appears instead of the location of the disk. 
File names can be quite long.  Additionally, instead of using file name extensions, the computer places information about the program associated with the file into the header of the file.  Therefore, file names do not automatically tell you the type of file it is.  Finally, instead of directories, folders are used as metaphors.

So names aren't as easy as they appear.  To name a new document, you really should save it (see module 1.4.2)

Exercise #1

Try to rename a file.  Make sure you change the name back to the original!