File name Extensions: very basic design flaw
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| phsolide May 08, 2009 2:57 PM EDT |
I don't think that the point this article makes is very clear. I think the point is: File extensions are a very basic design flaw in Windows. The choice between showing them or not only covers up the flaw. Let's be clear here: an "extension" on a Windows file is a separate part of its name. I know, I know, the use of file name suffixes in Unix/BSD/Linux exists, but such use is always a matter of convention. The file name of "cat.c" has 5 characters. GCC and other C compilers by convention want a ".c" suffix on the file name, but the suffix does not get stored in a special part of the file's inode(s) as it does in most or all MSFT filesystems. That's right, a special place. Not part of the file name proper. A Windows "extension" is more like the old Mac "document owner" - an attribute of the file, rather than part of its name. That's why a 3-character limit in an 8.3 filename, and that's why putting a ".exe" extension on a file makes it executable. "Executable" is NOT a permission, like in Unix/Linux/BSD world views. If only MSFT had chosen to use it as Apple chose to use the "document owner". The "extension" wouldn't be part of the name of the file. It wouldn't indicate "binary" vs "text" format, and many, many security problems would never have come about. But noooooo. They had to go and confuse everyone by doing the 8.3 thing in MS-DOS. |
| chalbersma May 08, 2009 3:01 PM EDT |
I concur Maybe I spell badly but I concur. |
| bigg May 08, 2009 3:05 PM EDT |
One of the things I hate most about Windows is that it tries to hide the file extension. Not that it has much to do with your comment, but I wanted to get that off my chest. |
| gus3 May 08, 2009 3:12 PM EDT |
An icon set with just one icon for all filetypes on the system would really show how stupid the file extension dependency is. |
| techiem2 May 08, 2009 3:34 PM EDT |
An how many times have we heard of viruses/malware/etc. taking advantage of the extension hiding by naming themselves lookatme.jpg.exe? |
| tuxchick May 08, 2009 3:46 PM EDT |
Or to put it another way, phsolide, Windows itself has no ability to determine the true filetype, which Unix and Linux have always been able to do. File extensions in *nix are for the convenience of humans and applications that open files. As you say, confusing and flawed. |
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