A good answer might be:

In the package java.io.

A File object holds information about a disk file or a disk directory. Note: a File object is NOT the actual file. It is an object that holds methods that affect a particular file or directory. It works as an interface between a program and the functions of the operating system that do the actual file manipulation.

Different operating systems vary in the organization of their file system. By using File objects, Java programs can handle files in a uniform manner no matter what operating system is running.

QUESTION 2:

If a File object and a file are separate things, is it possible:

• For a File object to exist without a file?
• For a file to exist without a File object?