(SYLK) A
Microsoft file format for
spreadsheets, (not to be confused with
symbolic link).
SYLK format existed in one form or another in as early as
1987, and was part of
Excel v1.0. It is is an outgrowth of
VisiCalc DIF file format.
SYLK format is ascii text and represents information about
both formula, value, and some formatting information, which
makes it something like an
RTF for spreadsheets. It is used
as a general tabular data exchange format.
http://netghost.narod.ru/gff/graphics/summary/micsylk.htm.
(Or "symlink", "soft link" (by contrast with
"
hard link"), "
shortcut", "
alias") A special type of
Unix file which refers to another file by its
pathname. A
symbolic link is created with the "ln" (link) command:
ln -s OLDNAME NEWNAME
Where OLDNAME is the target of the link (usually a pathname)
and NEWNAME is the pathname of the link itself.
Most operations (
open,
read,
write) on the symbolic link
automatically
dereference it and operate on its target
(OLDNAME). Some operations (e.g. removing) work on the link
itself (NEWNAME).
In contrast with hard links, there are no restrictions on
where a symbolic link can point, it can refer to a file on
another file system, to itself or to a file which does not
even exist (e.g. when the target of the symlink is removed).
Such problems will only be detected when the link is accessed.