1. Lacking any complex internal structure. "That
bitty boxhas only a flat file system, not a hierarchical one." The verb
form is
flatten. Usually used pejoratively (at least with
respect to file systems).
2. Said of a memory architecture like that of the
VAX or
(typically with each possible value of a processor register
corresponding to a unique address). This is a
Good Thing.
The opposite is a "
segmented" architecture like that of the
base-register/offset pair. Segmented designs are generally
considered cretinous.
are incomparable (equally well defined). E.g. the integers.