direct access

The notion of access, which comes from the Latin word accessus, refers to the act of approaching or reaching something. Direct, on the other hand, it is that which moves towards a place without stopping in intermediate sectors or that advances straight towards a goal.

The idea of direct access It is used in the field of computing to name a icon that, in the operating system Windows from Microsoft, allows access to a certain file or file. Shortcuts are files that contain data about the location of a document or a program: when the user makes one or two clicks on the icon, they access the material that it references.

To understand how a shortcut works, it must be taken into account that a document may be saved in a binder which, in turn, is inside other folders.

Suppose a person, when turning on his computer (computer), he comes across the desk of Windows and you want to open a text document that you have saved in a folder. The subject has to enter, in succession, in the folders My Documents, Office documents, Providers and finally, Supplies. Just in this last folder (Supplies), the document you want to open is located. To save time and multiple steps, you can create a shortcut to the text document in question on your desktop. So the next time you want to access the document from the Windows desktop, it can be done in one or two clicks, depending on your settings.

It is worth mentioning that, although the concept of direct access is usually associated with operating system Windows, exists in most, if not all, although it receives different names for legal reasons or to avoid the public confusing the products.

It is important to understand that shortcut is nothing more than an automation of the steps that should be carried out by the Username to access your documents; that is to say, they are still in the same place where they have been saved, and the computer must go to look for them following the same path that the person would do.

Since the operating system performs the process of opening directories and browsing disks very quickly and without showing each step to the user, many people come to believe that the shortcut is a copy of the file it points to; Needless to say, this is not correct, regardless of the particular way in which each system manages its information to optimize searching and opening files.

Today, with the rise of mobile phones and tablets, the concept of direct access travels with us everywhere and we constantly use it to save weather when opening our applications, our photos and our favorite songs, among other elements.

Modern video game consoles also have relatively complex operating systems, since the devices that were limited to executing the game that the user connected were left behind, to give rise to authentic computers, capable of surfing the Internet, downloading digital titles, playing movies through various services, chat with our contact list, see our personal photos and even capture video of our games and then share them with other players. In order to run digital games or applications, it is also necessary to have shortcuts.

In colloquial language, the concept shortcut is used with reference to the possibility of avoid various steps until you reach a goal or objective: "Stay calm, I'll solve the problem for you: I have direct access to the mayor".