I am using Ubuntu actually, very happy with the distro itself, though
the community generally leaves a bad taste in my mouth
(ubuntuforums.org). I am not talking about installation, I think that
is where the confusion lies. This sounds like a conversation I had with
someone else about this topic. Now tar is a compression format, like
.zip, you can .tar anything you would like, expand it and it is back to
its regular form that it started in, such as .jpg, .gif, or .mp3 or
anything else. Now of course .jpg or .gif or .mp3 is something that is
handled with an application of some sort, like GIMP, for a picture file
like .jpg or .gif, or VLC for an audio file such as .mp3. But of course
the OS has to read and manipulate GIMP or VLC while GIMP or VLC reads
and manipulates the .jpg or .gif, or .mp3, or anything else that it can
for that matter. Now I think I got my answer in what format the OS
reads when someone told me .elf, but maybe that is not the correct
answer. Documents use formats like .jpg or .gif, or .mp3, or .au, or
.wmp. And then are the programs covered under .elf? Or something else?