Question

I’m not really a professional programmer (I just do some number crunching), I’m just trying to learn more some things about computing.

I’m here to ask for -a reference- for a reading regarding the basic aspects of a ‘file’. I’m having difficulty to understand the difference between text files and binary files. With my current understaning an image file is no more ‘binary’ than a text file. I’d like to understand what makes a file a text file. Is it a special sequence of bits?

Please, I just need a good reading reference (although some clarification would be welcome) and I’m not really trying to make a vague, generic, question.

Preferable, I’d like to be pointed to a technical reading containing definitions such as “a text file is a sequence of bits whose etc…”

Thanks,
Seneika.

BTW: what one finds on Wikipedia, for example, is not what I want.

Edit: horrible grammar mistake corrected…

Answer 1

A text file is a computer file that stores a typed document as a
series of alphanumeric characters, usually without visual formatting
information. The content may be a personal note or list, a journal or
newspaper article, a book, or any other text that can be rendered
accurately in typewritten form. Text files are similar to word
processing files in that the content of both is primarily textual;
they differ in that text files usually do not record information such
as character style and size, pagination, or other details that would
specify the appearance of a finished document. Some computer operating
systems make a basic distinction between a text file, which is
intended to be translated directly into human-readable text, and a
binary file, which is interpreted directly by the computer.

Source : Binary File & Text File
More details on WikiPedia