In computer software

Computer software

Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....

, specifically the command line interface of the OpenVMS

OpenVMS

OpenVMS , previously known as VAX-11/VMS, VAX/VMS or VMS, is a computer server operating system that runs on VAX, Alpha and Itanium-based families of computers. Contrary to what its name suggests, OpenVMS is not open source software; however, the source listings are available for purchase...

 operating system

Operating system

An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...

, the DIRECTORY command

Command (computing)

In computing, a command is a directive to a computer program acting as an interpreter of some kind, in order to perform a specific task. Most commonly a command is a directive to some kind of command line interface, such as a shell....

 (often abbreviated as DIR) is used to list the file

Computer file

A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...

s inside a directory

Directory (file systems)

In computing, a folder, directory, catalog, or drawer, is a virtual container originally derived from an earlier Object-oriented programming concept by the same name within a digital file system, in which groups of computer files and other folders can be kept and organized.A typical file system may...

. It is analogous to the DOS

DOS

DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...

 dir and Unix

Unix

Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...

 ls

Ls

In computing, ls is a command to list files in Unix and Unix-like operating systems. ls is specified by POSIX and the Single UNIX Specification.- History :An ls utility appeared in the original version of AT&T UNIX...

commands.

Sample output

$ dir

 
Directory DISK$USER:[EBROCKLESBY.DICT.DICTD-1_8_0]
 
ANNOUNCE.;1 CHANGELOG.;1 CLIENTPARSE.Y;1 CLIENTSCAN.L;1
CODES.H;1 CONFIG.GUESS;1 CONFIG.H_IN;1 CONFIG.SUB;1
CONFIGURE.;1 CONFIGURE.IN;1 COPYING.;1 DAEMON.C;1
DATA.C;1 DECL.H;1 DICT.1;1 DICT.C;1
DICT.H;1 DICTD.8;1 DICTD.C;1 DICTD.CONF;1
DICTD.H;1 DICTFMT.1;1 DICTFMT.C;1
DICTFMT_INDEX2SUFFIX.;1 DICTFMT_PLUGIN.;1 DICTP.H;1
DICTZIP.1;1 DICTZIP.C;1 DICTZIP.H;1 DOC.DIR;1
EXAMPLE.CONF;1 EXAMPLE.DICTRC;1 EXAMPLE.SITE;1 EXAMPLE2.CONF;1
EXAMPLE3.CONF;1 INDEX.C;1 INITSCRIPT.;1 INSTALL-SH.;1
INSTALL.;1 LIBMAA.DIR;1 MAKEFILE.;2 MAKEFILE.CONF;1
MAKEFILE.IN;2 MD5.C;1 MD5.H;1 NET.C;1
NET.H;1 PLUGIN.H;1 README.;1 REGEX.DIR;1
SERVPARSE.Y;1 SERVSCAN.L;1 TODO.;1 UTF8_UCS4.C;1
UTF8_UCS4.H;1 ZLIB.DIR;1
 
Total of 56 files.