Editorial policy

Who writes this

FileDex is written and maintained by Adnan Al Khazimi, founder of FileDex, working from Oman. A single named operator carries editorial and technical responsibility for every format entry. See the author page for a full bio and credentials.

How a format page is produced

Every format page published from April 2026 forward follows this process:

1. Research. Every format page starts from primary sources — the original specification (ISO, IETF, IANA, vendor documentation), standards bodies, and RFC archives. Every claim traces to a cited source stored in a per-format research file.
2. Verification. Every binary detail (magic bytes, header offsets, chunk structures) is verified against a real file using command-line tools like hexdump, xxd, ffprobe, pdfinfo. We do not cite a detail we have not personally observed in a file.
3. Drafting. First drafts are produced with AI assistance (Claude, by Anthropic) against a strict editorial constitution stored in the public repository. Every draft is reviewed against the source material before publication.
4. Arabic content. Arabic pages are composed independently in Arabic from Arabic-language sources — not translated from English. A native speaker reviews every Arabic page using a read-aloud test that catches translation-register artifacts.
5. Review. Every page is reviewed by a human before it publishes. No AI-generated content ships to the site without this review.

About older pages

Some pages on FileDex were published before this protocol was formalised in April 2026. They were drafted with the same care but did not pass the explicit review gate this policy describes. Those pages are being progressively re-reviewed and updated. The "Last reviewed" date on each page reflects when it last passed editorial review — including pages that have been retroactively brought into compliance.

How we use AI

FileDex uses AI (Claude, by Anthropic) as a research assistant, drafting tool, and editorial reviewer. AI does not autonomously publish content. Every page is reviewed, verified, and approved by a named human before it reaches the web.

Specifically:

• Research: AI is used to surface candidate sources and to summarise long specifications. Every claim is verified against the primary source before drafting.
• Drafting: First drafts of format-page sections are produced by AI against a written editorial constitution. The draft is then revised by a human reviewer.
• Editorial review: AI is used as a second pair of eyes to flag potential issues (cliché openings, vague claims, spec mismatches). Final approval is always human.
• What AI is NOT used for: autonomous publishing, fact assertion without primary-source verification, Arabic translation from English source.

How we handle corrections

Spotted an error? Email adnan@filedex.io with a link to the page and a description of the issue. Corrections are typically applied within 7 days, and the page's "Last reviewed" date is updated when the correction ships.

If the issue is a binary-anatomy error (wrong magic bytes, wrong offset), include a hex-dump or `xxd` output of a real file demonstrating the correct value. We do not change a binary claim without seeing it ourselves.

Our verification standards

• Magic bytes and binary anatomy: verified against real files, not copied from secondary sources.
• CLI commands: tested on our own systems. If a command does not work in our environment, it does not ship.
• Security profiles: sourced from published CVEs, vendor advisories, and primary security research.
• Conversion paths: the conversion pairs we list as supported are the pairs the in-browser engine actually performs. We do not list aspirational or "coming soon" conversions in shipped content.

No sponsored content

FileDex accepts no paid placements, sponsored format entries, or commercial influence on editorial decisions. We are not affiliated with CloudConvert, Zamzar, Convertio, FileInfo, or any commercial file-conversion service. Format pages compare formats neutrally on technical and use-case grounds — never to favour or disfavour any particular product.