A CSV (comma-separated values) file contains the values in a table as a series of ASCII text lines organized so that each column value is separated by a comma from the next column's value and each row starts a new line.

CSV Files are commonly used as the data part of Databases on really low-end designs. Since they are just raw text in a very simple format, they have the upside of having a low system overhead (verses something like Oracle 8), and they can be hand-hacked using VI, EMACS or some other text editor. They also have an additonal virtue as database as they are pretty much platform indendent; whereas something like mySQL or Postgres are only (freely) available on *nix platforms, a CVS system can be used on any system that has a directory based file system.

The down-side is that although they're useful in the respect, they are also very limited. For example, a Perl program using DBI to conenct to a CSV database (using Jochen Wiedmann's excelent code) cannot do things like JOINs, and fields cannot be defined by content (eg Integer, String, etc).

CSV does stand for comma seperated values, as said in all the other writeups. This however is not what makes csv files grand, no sir. It's the availability of programs like scansort and TheHunter, along with organizers that release their csv files to all. These combined let one make great leaps forward in organizing one's porn collection, I tell you what. You can get all sorts of CSV files from El-Toro.net organized very well, from playboy, to CD Girls. And this is far from the only site out there, many others exist dedicated to specific scanners, collections, or fetishes, from nonude to transsexuals. Some csv's aren't up on the web, cause they are fucking weirdass/illegal stuff, so check your favorite news groups for those (you sick bastard). So the next time you're leeching all of alt.binaries.pictures.centerfolds.playboy to add to your magazine collection, remember that all of those could be layed out nicely into directories, checked for validity, and checked for duplicates all automatically. More time to whack the mole, kill the dolphin, etc.

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