Tekstiedostot

Tekstiedostot, often referred to as plain text files, are a fundamental type of computer file that store data as sequences of characters. Unlike binary files, which store data in a format that is not directly human-readable, text files contain information that can be easily interpreted by humans. This is typically achieved by using character encoding schemes such as ASCII or Unicode.

The content of a text file can range from simple notes and code scripts to configuration settings and basic documents. They are widely used across all operating systems and software applications due to their simplicity and universality. Common examples include `.txt`, `.csv`, and `.html` files, although the latter can also contain more complex formatting.

The primary advantage of text files lies in their readability and editability. They can be opened and modified with any basic text editor, such as Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on macOS, or Vim and Nano on Linux. This makes them ideal for tasks where human intervention and simple data manipulation are required. Furthermore, their straightforward structure simplifies parsing and processing by computer programs, making them a common format for data exchange between different applications.

While text files are excellent for storing raw data and code, they do not inherently support rich formatting like images, complex layouts, or embedded multimedia. For such purposes, more specialized file formats like `.docx`, `.pdf`, or `.jpg` are employed. Nevertheless, the simplicity and accessibility of tekstiedostot ensure their continued relevance in computing.