Neils Resource Web - Technical - Glossary of Computer TermsNeils Resource Web - Technical - Glossary of Computer TermsFile Extensions - Neils Resource Web


Summary of Content
Ever wondered what opens that obscure file, before you scream virus read on. These tables list some common file formats and software which will handle them (though it may not be the only software which can be used). E.g. As you know, there are now many products capable of opening .pdf type files.

More References
Saugus.net Provider of the table content below. Visit their site for the latest version.
Sharpened.net A link to another comprehensive glossary of file extensions. A Smart site.
Fiileinfo.net A site developed by the author of the one above. A Definitive guide.  07/05 

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Compressed and encoded files Formatted document types Graphics and multimedia file types

Compressed and encoded files
Extension Definition How to process
.exe Self-extracting archive for PCs No additional software needed on a PC
.gz Gnu version of zip used on Unix Use unzip on Unix, MacGZip on Mac, Stuffit Expander for Windows on PC Windows
.hqx Macintosh BinHex file encoded as text Use Xbin on Unix, Stuffit Expander on Mac, BinHex13 on PC Windows
.sit Macintosh archiving and compression format Use Stuffit 1.51 on Unix, Stuffit Expander on Mac, Stuffit Expander for Windows on PC Windows
.tar Unix archive format. Tar files may also be compressed On Unix use command: tar-xf, TAR 4.0b on Mac, WinZIP on PC Windows
.uu or .uue File converted to text format using uuencode To convert back to original form, use command uudecode on Unix, uuLite 3.0 on Mac, WinCode on PC. If transferred by email, mail program may handle conversion automatically
.Z Unix compressed file To expand, use command uncompress on Unix if not done automatically by ftp program, Stuffit Expander with Expander Enhancer on Mac, WinZIP on PC Windows
.zip pkzip PC compressed file To expand, use Stuffit Expander w/EE on Mac, WinZIP on PC

Formatted document types
Extension Definition How to process
.doc Common PC format for formatted text files Microsoft Word, WordPerfect for Windows, Wordview.
.pdf Portable Document Format from Adobe, portable across computing platforms. Adobe's Acrobat Reader is needed to read pdf files.
.ps PostScript. Postscript files includes formatting information primarily for printing to a Postscript printer May be viewed with Ghostscript for Mac, Windows, and Unix.
.rtf Rich Text Format - ASCII rendering of binary word-processed documents. Programs such as Microsoft Word will convert to and from rtf files.

Graphics and multimedia file types
Extension Definition How to process
.aiff Sound format for Apple Mac. Files are downloaded then played locally. Playable with LiveAudio plug-in which comes with Netscape Navigator 3.0 and higher. Playable in Internet Explorer 3.0+. Also Sound App (Mac) fromdownload.com.
.asf ASF (Advanced Streaming Format) is Microsoft's streaming format. Can include audio, video, scripts, ActiveX controls, and HTML documents. Windows Media Player (included with Windows 98).
.au Sound format for Unix. Files are downloaded then played locally. Supports 8-bit sound only. Playable with LiveAudio plug-in which comes with Netscape Navigator 3.0 and higher. Internet Explorer 3.0+ supports .au MIME type.
.avi AVI (audio/video interleaved), video file-type used by Video for Windows, Win '95's multimedia architecture Windows Media Player. Allows easy integration of Win Word documents and PowerPoint.
.cdr CorelDRAW Graphic CorelDraw Products, Graphics Converter Pro
.dcr

Macromedia Director

Windows Media Player. Allows easy integration of Win Word documents and PowerPoint.
.gif Graphics compression format from Compuserve most suitable for line-art images. Viewable with Web browser or LView Pro (PC) or Gif Converter (Mac).
.jpeg Compression standard particularly suitable for photographic images. Viewable with graphical Web browser, also Lview Pro and PolyView.
.mid
.midi		 Actually a music definition language and communications protocol rather than a format, MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) contains instructions to perform particular commands LiveAudio plug-in for Netscape. Automatically playable with sound-enabled versions of Internet Explorer or with Media Player.  Also Crescendo!, Yamaha's MIDPLUG. Midi players listed at www.aitech.ac.jp/~ckelly/midi/help/midi-players.html
.mov Format for QuickTime movies. Sparkle, MoviePlayer (Mac), QuickTime for Windows.
.mpeg
.mpg		 (Motion Picture Experts Group). Widely used standard for digital compresssion of moving images. Files are played locally. MPEG viewers such as MPEGPlay, mtv-1.0, mtvp-sdk, QuickTime MPEG extension, HyperMPEG Player, XingMPEG Player (Windows), Sparkle (Mac). See a list of resources at MPEG.OR at www.mpeg.org/MPEG/MPEG-content.html for extensive list of pointers.
.MP3 MPEG Audio Layer 3. Advanced compression technique for small near-CD-quality audio files Windows Media Player, Sonique.
.png PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is an extensible file format for faster images intended as a patent-free replacement for the GIF format. Supported by Internet Explorer 4.
.qt QuickTime movie file type from Apple - files are played locally. Playable with QuickTime players such as Quicktime for Windows. Player is included in Netscape Navigator 3.0+.
.qt3 QuickTime 3 - advanced compression format for video, audio, MIDI, animation, 3D, etc. Playable with QuickTime players.
.ra, .rm, .ram Real Audio, pioneering format for streaming audio on the Web optimised for low-to-medium speed connections. RealPlayer, Windows Media Player
.rv Real Video, format for streaming video on the Web optimised for low-to-medium speed connections. RealPlayer,Windows Media Player
.swf ShockWave Flash from Macromedia for delivery of graphics and animation on the Internet. ShockWave, Flash player.
.tiff High-resolution image format JPEGView (Mac) Lview Pro (PC)
.viv VIVO format for compression of streaming video, particularly over low bandwidth. www.vivo.com/
.vrml VRML (Virtual Reality Modelling Language), is an open standard for the definition of 3-dimensional environments used on the WWW. Simple VRML files can be created with a plain text editor, or for more complex model building, modelling software will probably be required. VRML files are viewed with a VRML helper application or browser plugin such as WorldView.
.wav Windows sound format Playable with LiveAudio plug-in which comes with Netscape Navigator 3.0 and higher. Playable in Internet Explorer 3.0. Also with Windows Media Player (included with Windows 98).
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Last Updated 04/03/2008 - Neils Resource Web - Technical - Glossary of Common File Extensions