Reading files the hard way complete

Everybody knows how to use files. You just open up File Explorer, the Finder, or a File Manager, and bam - it's chock-full of files. There's folders and files as far as the eye can see. It's a genuine filapalooza. I have never once heard someone complain there were not enough files on their computer.

But what is a file, really? And what does reading a file entail, exactly?

Read part 1

Series overview

1. Reading files the hard way - Part 1 (node.js, C, rust, strace)
2. Reading files the hard way - Part 2 (x86 asm, linux kernel)
3. Reading files the hard way - Part 3 (ftrace, disk layouts, ext4)

This series is complete.