File Compare
Command-line program that compares multiple files
In computing, fc (File Compare) is a command-line program in MS-DOS and compatible systems, OS/2, and Windows, that compares multiple files and outputs the differences between them. It is similar to the Unix commands comm, cmp and diff.
01History
The fc command has been included in Microsoft operating systems since MS-DOS 2.11 (e.g. on the 1984/85 DEC Rainbow release) and is included in all versions of Microsoft Windows. fc has also been included in IBM OS/2 Version 2.0.
DR DOS 6.0 includes an implementation of the fc command.
The command is also available in FreeDOS. This implementation is licensed under the GPLv2+.
02Functionality
fc can compare text files as well as binary files. The latest versions can compare ASCII or Unicode text. The result of comparisons are output to the standard output. The output of fc is intended primarily to be human readable and may be difficult to use in other programs.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “File Compare”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Microsoft Windows 95 Version 4.00.1111 fc command 492x259.png by Ghettoblaster, Public domain
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