term. The term file folder seems to be one that dominates North American language, but does not seem as common in other countries. As stated, some refer to file folders simply as folders, but in North America, this is confusing because folder can refer to several different things. Others use the term manila folders, but this is confusing because not all file folders are made of Manila hemp. This type of folder is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "vanilla folder." Another commonly used folder type is the hanging folder, which has hooks on all four corners that slide over a rail. Normally, hanging folders are used to file one or more manila folders, and it is not a common practice to put loose sheets directly into hanging folders. When some documents need to be retrieved, the corresponding manila folder(s) are removed from the hanging folder. The hanging folder itself is left in its place on the rails. Occasionally, the term for the item changes based on its context. Some may refer to file folders as files when they are being used for storage. For example, one might say, "Would you get me the file on the Patterson case?" Or someone might say, "That information is with the files on the insurance claims." File folder or just folder seems to be how many refer to the item when it is being purchased or not containing any paper yet. For instance, someone might say, "Would you give me an empty folder from the box? I need to make a file on the Thompson estate." Or someone might say, "When you run to the store would you get me some legal size file folders?" Then again, office furniture that holds paper documents is invariable referred to as a Filing cabinet or simply a file cabinet, and never a folder cabinet. The terms are even more distorted in their digital counterparts. In computing, the word "folder" (or, in some cases, "file folder") is often used as a synonym for "directory", while the word "file" is universally used for actual data items on a disk (sometimes called "documents," especially on the Apple Macintosh). In Unix-like systems, this is resolved to some degree by the creed "everything is a file"; folders are themselves just a special type of file, and many commands (to copy, delete, move, or rename) can be executed without knowing whether the