What is a LOG file
THE LOG file extension is, like the name suggests, associated with log files and the operating computer. Usually, they are expressed as ASCII text files and contain information about running or used programs and time stamps. If a LOG file is currently used by the operating system or a program, it cannot be opened unless the program the user is trying to open the file with allows for read-only mode. Likewise, these files can not be deleted or moved to another directory while in use.
LOG files are usually created by the programs themselves to keep track of events or locations and names during an installation. Web servers are able to generate such files as well for the purpose of monitoring traffic and bandwidth usage. In this case, the text log is often times converted into graphs. A file with a LOG extension that may frequently appear on a computer is TVDEBUG.LOG, which is associated with ZoneAlarm. This LOG file grows continuously which makes it necessary to monitor and delete it from time to time.
Here's a small, but not exhaustive list of programs that can open LOG documents:
- Apple console
- Apple Text Edit
- Microsoft Notepad
- Microsoft Word
- OpenOffice Writer
