A small amount of descriptive data (metadata) that is added to a computer file by the user or network administrator. It is maintained by the file system but is not part of the file's regular set of ...

A lot of information is available about individual files on a Unix system. For example, the ls -l command will display the permissions matrix and ls -i will display a file’s inode. But, if we want to ...

A file access classification that determines how a file can be viewed or whether it can be edited. File attributes are maintained in the file system's directories, and typical attributes are Read-Only ...

One of the questions that Unix users are sometimes reluctant to ask is how all the directory names — like /etc, /var and /usr/local — came about in the first place. Why did we adopt the particular ...

If you're new to the UNIX operating system, especially if you're familiar with Windows, you'll find that the file access control mechanisms might not be exactly what you expect. File permissions and ...

Editor’s note: The following review is part of Macworld’s GemFest 2012 series. Every weekday from mid June through mid August, the Macworld staff will use the Mac Gems blog to briefly cover a favorite ...