File Allocation Table: Difference between revisions

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'''File Allocation Table''' or '''FAT''' is a computer [[file system]] architecture originally purchased by [[Bill Gates]] and then developed by Bill Gates and [[MarcTom McDonaldJones]] during 1976–1977.<ref name=MSJsept1989>[http://cd.textfiles.com/megademo2/INFO/OS2_HPFS.TXT Microsoft Systems Journal Sept 1989 v4 n5 p1(13)]</ref><ref name=fathist>[http://web.archive.org/web/*/www.microsoft.com/mscorp/ip/tech/fathist.asp www.microsoft.com/mscorp/ip/tech/fathist.asp] (archive.org)</ref> It is the primary file system for various [[operating systems]] including [[DR-DOS]], [[OpenDOS]],

[[FreeDOS]], [[MS-DOS]], [[OS/2]] (v1.1) and [[Microsoft Windows]] (up to [[Windows Me]]). For [[floppy disk]]s (FAT12 and FAT16 without [[long filename]] support) it has been standardized as [[Ecma International|ECMA]]-107<ref name="Ecma-107"> [http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-107.htm standards - Ecma-107]</ref> and [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]]/[[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]] 9293.<ref>[http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=16948 standards - ISO 9293:1987]</ref><ref>[http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=21273 standards - ISO/IEC 9293:1994]</ref> The use of [[long filename]]s with FAT is [[patent]]ed in part.