What does COM mean in FILE EXTENSIONS

A COM file is a type of simple executable file that contains ASCII text. It was first used by MS-DOS and is still supported in some command-line shells such as Windows Command Prompt and 4DOS. A COM program is typically limited to 64KB of memory, which accounts for its very small size compared to other executable files.

The simplest way to open a COM file is to double click on it in File Explorer. This will cause the program stored within the COM file to run inside your command shell automatically. Alternatively, you can type the filename (including its extension) into your prompt; for example, “samplefile.COM”.

With the exception of accessing basic system settings, there's practically no limit to what you can do with a COM program; from running applications and scripts to manipulating data and performing calculations, everything that could be accomplished with text-based commands could be coded into a single COM file.

It depends on where the file came from and who wrote it – since most systems won't warn you if they detect something suspicious about an executable program, it's important for users to ensure that they've obtained any programs they're running from trusted sources only. Executable files should always be scanned for viruses before opening them.

Nowadays, most programs are written as EXE executables, so when possible it's usually better to use these instead of relying on legacy formats such as.COM. Some modern-day interpreters like Python or JavaScript allow you to write code in high level languages which are then compiled into native machine code for improved performance and stability – this eliminates many of the limitations encountered while working with older formats like.COMs.

Yes – in fact, some COMMAND shells even provide an integrated editor so that users can directly modify their existing executable programs without needing specialised software or opening another application.. However, it's not possible to modify an existing.COM program without reassembling and recompiling its source code afterwards.

Unfortunately this isn't possible due mainly to memory limitations - although much larger than.COM files, most EXEs require more than 64KB of RAM just to start running – these limits don't apply when working with executables written in higher level languages like Python though.

Generally speaking you'll need access either an assembler or compiler specifically designed for creating Legacy DOS/Windows binary files; once installed onto your machine simply enter the source code then save it out as xxx.COM - note that some compilers may also provide default support for various other older formats too.