tar
tape archive
tarball
<file format> ("Tape ARchive", following {ar}) {Unix}'s
general purpose {archive} utility and the file format it uses.
Tar was originally intended for use with {magnetic tape} but,
though it has several {command line options} related to tape,
it is now used more often for packaging files together on
other media, e.g. for distribution via the {Internet}.
The resulting archive, a "tar file" (humourously, "tarball")
is often compressed, using {gzip} or some other form of
compression (see {tar and feather}).
There is a {GNU} version of tar called {gnutar} with several
improvements over the standard versions.
{Filename extension}: .tar
{MIME type}: unregistered, but commonly application/x-tar
{Unix manual page}: tar(1).
Compare {shar}, {zip}.
(1998-05-02)