Talk:Electronic File Formats

There should probably be an agreed definition of an electronic file format to aid in selecting content and automating reasoning based on format IDs etc (if we are not all talking about the same things then we will not be able to generalise from the results of our work).

What is an Electronic File format?

Options:

1) a knowable, repeatable set of rules for structuring content in a computer file

2) a documented standard way of structuring computer files

3) the options that appear in the save-as drop-down menus in software applications

4) a file extension

5) a mime type

6) ???

For the moment, I can make this very simple. An Electronic File Format is a file format that can only be accessed through the use of electrical charge. The rest of what you're discussing is a matter of hierarchy below the "Electronic File Format" heading, which will definitely be sticky and hard to keep on top of, but can be done. --Jason Scott (talk) 06:15, 1 November 2012 (UTC)