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Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator

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  Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator anthk@not.dev.null - 2026-08-17 23:57 +0200
    Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2026-08-18 00:07 +0000
      Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Bob Eager <throwaway0008@eager.cx> - 2026-08-18 11:51 +0000
        Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2026-08-18 22:15 -0400
      Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2026-08-18 22:13 -0400
    Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-08-23 07:32 +0000
      Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-08-23 07:40 -0700
        Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-08-23 22:07 +0000
          Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-24 07:27 +0800
            Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator vallor <vallor@vallor.earth> - 2026-08-24 01:31 +0000
              Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-08-25 15:02 -0400
      Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2026-08-23 23:36 -0400
    Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-23 23:13 +0800
      Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Lars Poulsen <lars@beagle-ears.com> - 2026-08-23 11:20 -0700
        Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-08-23 22:11 +0000
          Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-24 07:28 +0800
          Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2026-08-23 23:39 -0400
        Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-25 01:15 +0800
          Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-25 03:28 +0800
            Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-25 12:20 +0800
              Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2026-08-25 15:34 +0000
                Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-08-25 09:35 -0700
                  Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-08-25 17:00 +0000
                  Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-28 20:07 +0800
                    Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-29 16:59 +0800
                      Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-30 04:13 +0800
                Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Snidely <snidely.too@gmail.com> - 2026-08-25 11:22 -0700
                  Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-08-25 21:43 +0000
                    Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-08-26 15:34 +0000
                  Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-29 17:08 +0800
                Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-28 20:12 +0800
                  Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2026-08-28 18:14 +0000
                  Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2026-08-28 21:02 -0400
                    Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-29 10:15 +0800
                      Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-29 11:55 +0800
                        Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-29 17:38 +0800
                          Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-30 04:09 +0800
                        Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2026-08-29 18:31 -0400
                          Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-30 11:33 +0800
                        Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-08-31 09:34 -0700
                          Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-09-02 22:59 +0800
                            Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-09-02 08:29 -0700
                              Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-09-02 12:36 -0700
                                Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-09-02 13:00 -0700
                                  Re: Origin Of Filename ... Babylon cuneiforms etched on bread? Exorcism? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-09-04 12:24 +0800
                                Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-02 21:55 +0000
                                  Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-09-03 04:44 +0000
                                    Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-03 04:57 +0000
                                      Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-09-03 05:29 +0000
                                        Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-03 06:57 +0000
                                          Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-09-03 10:06 +0000
                                        The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-09-03 18:29 +0800
                                          Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-09-03 08:02 -0700
                                            Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) athel.cb@gmail.com <user12588@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-09-03 15:49 +0000
                                            Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-09-03 14:08 -0400
                                              Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-09-03 11:34 -0700
                                                Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) Tony Cooper <tonycooper214@gmail.com> - 2026-09-03 18:01 -0400
                                                  Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-09-03 15:26 -0700
                                                Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-09-04 04:51 +0200
                                                  Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-09-04 04:27 +0000
                                                    Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-09-04 12:52 +0800
                                                      Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-09-04 08:15 -0700
                                                    Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> - 2026-09-05 06:05 +0200
                                                      Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? (was: Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday?) James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-09-05 09:13 +0000
                                                        Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-05 21:09 +0000
                                            Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? Malcolm Purvis <malcolm@purvis.id.au> - 2026-09-04 06:49 +1000
                                              Re: The Amarna Letters, Hebrew -- wait, which brew? Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-03 21:27 +0000
                                  Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-09-03 08:28 -0700
                            Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2026-09-02 15:37 -0400
                      Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-08-29 05:25 +0000
                        Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-29 13:35 +0800
                          Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-08-29 17:35 +0000
                            Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-08-29 15:42 -0400
                              Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-08-29 21:07 +0000
                                Re: Origin Of .... "say what?" "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-30 18:00 +0800
                            Re: Origin Of Filename ... text and civilization? doomsday? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-30 04:17 +0800
                    Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Charles Hope <clh@candehope.me.uk> - 2026-08-29 09:45 +0000
                  Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-29 17:14 +0800
                    Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-30 03:52 +0800
                    Re: Origin Of ..... Darklands the video game? Medieval Europe? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-30 04:24 +0800
                      Re: Origin Of ..... Darklands & the Holy Roman Empire? 15th century?? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-08-30 16:47 +0800
                      Re: Origin Of ..... Darklands the video game? Medieval Europe? Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-31 17:08 +0800
                        Re: Origin Of ..... Darklands the video game? Medieval Europe? "Kerr-Mudd, John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2026-08-31 16:40 +0100
                          Re: Origin Of ..... Darklands the video game? Medieval Europe? Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-09-03 00:06 +0800
                        Re: Origin Of ..... Darklands the video game? Medieval Europe? "Mr. Chang Man-wai" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-09-02 23:02 +0800
               Tops-10 filename/extension representation [was Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator] Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2026-08-25 16:15 -0400
                Re: Tops-10 filename/extension representation [was Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator] Kragen Javier Sitaker <kragen@canonical.org> - 2026-09-05 10:14 -0300
                  Re: Tops-10 filename/extension representation [was Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator] Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-05 21:11 +0000

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#235321 — Re: Origin Of Filename Extension Dot Separator

Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space 

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#235322

According to  <anthk@not.dev.null>:
>
>Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space 

It was a dot on the DEC PDP-6 monitor that evolved into TOPS-10. I
believe TOPS-10 is where both CP/M and MS-DOS got their filename
syntax.


-- 
Regards,
John Levine, johnl@taugh.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
Please consider the environment before reading this e-mail. https://jl.ly

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#235324

On Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:07:16 +0000, John Levine wrote:

> According to  <anthk@not.dev.null>:
>>
>>Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space
> 
> It was a dot on the DEC PDP-6 monitor that evolved into TOPS-10. I
> believe TOPS-10 is where both CP/M and MS-DOS got their filename syntax.

Also (around the same time) on the PDP-8 operating system, OS/8 (modelled 
on the PDP-6 I think)

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#235328

Bob Eager <throwaway0008@eager.cx> writes:

> On Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:07:16 +0000, John Levine wrote:

>> According to  <anthk@not.dev.null>:

>>> Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space

>> It was a dot on the DEC PDP-6 monitor that evolved into TOPS-10. I
>> believe TOPS-10 is where both CP/M and MS-DOS got their filename syntax.

> Also (around the same time) on the PDP-8 operating system, OS/8 (modelled 
> on the PDP-6 I think)

PS/8 (the predecessor of OS/8) was influenced by work on the PDP-10, which had
come along before the PDP-8/e (for which PS/8 was created).

-- 
Rich Alderson					  news@alderson.users.panix.com
      Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur,
	  omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus.
									--Galen

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#235327

John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> writes:

> According to  <anthk@not.dev.null>:

>> Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space 

> It was a dot on the DEC PDP-6 monitor that evolved into TOPS-10. I believe
> TOPS-10 is where both CP/M and MS-DOS got their filename syntax.

I have been told by people who were there that Kildall worked on PDP-11
systems, which also used a dot separator, so it was natural in CP/M.

MS-DOS got it from QDOS which got it from CP/M.

-- 
Rich Alderson					  news@alderson.users.panix.com
      Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur,
	  omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus.
									--Galen

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#235341

On Mon, 17 Aug 2026 23:57:34 +0200, anthk wrote:

> Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space

According to Da Wiki <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension>:

* The concept originated with CTSS in 1961, allowing 6 characters each
  for the filename and extension, and also the “.” separator syntax
  for writing the two as a single filename string.
* Multics kept the convention of the “.” separator, but turned this
  into just another character that could be used in the filename,
  which could be up to 255 characters long. Executables and text
  files conventionally had no suffix.
* DEC systems preserved the separation of fields, and the most popular
  of the later micro-based systems (CP/M, MS-DOS) copied this idea.
* Unix copied the Multics usage of no extensions for executables. Text
  files could have a range of different suffixes, depending on their
  intended usage.

The article doesn’t mention version numbers, which are/were found on
some DEC-proprietary systems: TOPS-10/20, VMS.

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#235343

On 8/23/26 00:32, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
> 
> The article doesn’t mention version numbers, which are/were found on
> some DEC-proprietary systems: TOPS-10/20, VMS.

I found version numbers particularly useful. I guess there are Linux 
filesystems that support them, but I could never be bothered to install 
them.

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#235346

On Sun, 23 Aug 2026 07:40:25 -0700, Peter Flass wrote:

> On 8/23/26 00:32, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
>>
>> The article doesn’t mention version numbers, which are/were found
>> on some DEC-proprietary systems: TOPS-10/20, VMS.

I forgot to mention RSX ;).

> I found version numbers particularly useful. I guess there are Linux
> filesystems that support them, but I could never be bothered to
> install them.

No. It’s not a POSIX thing.

I dallied for a while with using VCS tools (i.e. Git) for managing
versions of files. Then I came up with something more
snapshot-oriented, <https://gitlab.com/ldo/updoc>, and I have been
trying that out in some of my own content-creation projects. So for
example, I might be working on a CG model in “example.blend”, and
every time I feel I’ve reached a critical point, I save a snapshot
into the version history file “example.blend;”.

Note the trailing semicolon on the version history file name; that’s a
homage to DEC’s version numbers ;). Though actually the version
history file can be called what you like.

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#235348

On 24/08/2026 6:07 AM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Aug 2026 07:40:25 -0700, Peter Flass wrote:
> 
>> On 8/23/26 00:32, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
>>>
>>> The article doesn’t mention version numbers, which are/were found
>>> on some DEC-proprietary systems: TOPS-10/20, VMS.
> 
> I forgot to mention RSX ;).
> 
>> I found version numbers particularly useful. I guess there are Linux
>> filesystems that support them, but I could never be bothered to
>> install them.
> 
> No. It’s not a POSIX thing.

Erm, you do know that Linux people will sometimes, on occasion, imple-
ment something not in the Posix standard?

> 
> I dallied for a while with using VCS tools (i.e. Git) for managing
> versions of files. Then I came up with something more
> snapshot-oriented, <https://gitlab.com/ldo/updoc>, and I have been
> trying that out in some of my own content-creation projects. So for
> example, I might be working on a CG model in “example.blend”, and
> every time I feel I’ve reached a critical point, I save a snapshot
> into the version history file “example.blend;”.


You can also just save a snapshot with ZFS, you know.  That also works
on Linux I'm told.
> 
> Note the trailing semicolon on the version history file name; that’s a
> homage to DEC’s version numbers ;). Though actually the version
> history file can be called what you like.

You can also do that with Fossil.  It's the version control system from
the SQLite team.  You can name the /repository/ whatever you like, and
a trailing ; doesn't bother SQLite at all.
-- 
Johann | email: invalid -> com | http://www.myrkraverk.com/blog/
I'm not from the Internet, I just work there. | via Easynews.com
https://bsky.app/profile/myrkraverk.bsky.social | for ( ;; ) _:;

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#235352

At Mon, 24 Aug 2026 07:27:20 +0800, Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> wrote:

> On 24/08/2026 6:07 AM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
> > On Sun, 23 Aug 2026 07:40:25 -0700, Peter Flass wrote:
> > 
> >> On 8/23/26 00:32, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
> >>>
> >>> The article doesn’t mention version numbers, which are/were found
> >>> on some DEC-proprietary systems: TOPS-10/20, VMS.
> > 
> > I forgot to mention RSX ;).
> > 
> >> I found version numbers particularly useful. I guess there are Linux
> >> filesystems that support them, but I could never be bothered to
> >> install them.
> > 
> > No. It’s not a POSIX thing.
> 
> Erm, you do know that Linux people will sometimes, on occasion, imple-
> ment something not in the Posix standard?
> 
> > 
> > I dallied for a while with using VCS tools (i.e. Git) for managing
> > versions of files. Then I came up with something more
> > snapshot-oriented, <https://gitlab.com/ldo/updoc>, and I have been
> > trying that out in some of my own content-creation projects. So for
> > example, I might be working on a CG model in “example.blend”, and
> > every time I feel I’ve reached a critical point, I save a snapshot
> > into the version history file “example.blend;”.
> 
> 
> You can also just save a snapshot with ZFS, you know.  That also works
> on Linux I'm told.
> > 
> > Note the trailing semicolon on the version history file name; that’s a
> > homage to DEC’s version numbers ;). Though actually the version
> > history file can be called what you like.
> 
> You can also do that with Fossil.  It's the version control system from
> the SQLite team.  You can name the /repository/ whatever you like, and
> a trailing ; doesn't bother SQLite at all.

For lightweight version control, I use RCS -- and if I need something
more heavy-duty, there's git.

-- 
-v System76 Thelio Mega v1.1 x86_64 Mem: 258G
   OS: Linux 7.2.0 D: Mint 22.3 DE: Xfce 4.18 (X11)
   NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090Ti (24G) (610.57.04)
   "All computers wait at the same speed."

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#235373

vallor wrote this screed in ALL-CAPS (fixed):

> At Mon, 24 Aug 2026 07:27:20 +0800, Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 24/08/2026 6:07 AM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
>> > On Sun, 23 Aug 2026 07:40:25 -0700, Peter Flass wrote:
>> > 
>> >> On 8/23/26 00:32, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> The article doesn’t mention version numbers, which are/were found
>> >>> on some DEC-proprietary systems: TOPS-10/20, VMS.
>> > 
>> > I forgot to mention RSX ;).
>> > 
>> >> I found version numbers particularly useful. I guess there are Linux
>> >> filesystems that support them, but I could never be bothered to
>> >> install them.
>> > 
>> > No. It’s not a POSIX thing.
>> 
>> Erm, you do know that Linux people will sometimes, on occasion, imple-
>> ment something not in the Posix standard?
>> 
>> > I dallied for a while with using VCS tools (i.e. Git) for managing
>> > versions of files. Then I came up with something more
>> > snapshot-oriented, <https://gitlab.com/ldo/updoc>, and I have been
>> > trying that out in some of my own content-creation projects. So for
>> > example, I might be working on a CG model in “example.blend”, and
>> > every time I feel I’ve reached a critical point, I save a snapshot
>> > into the version history file “example.blend;”.
>> 
>> You can also just save a snapshot with ZFS, you know.  That also works
>> on Linux I'm told.
>> > 
>> > Note the trailing semicolon on the version history file name; that’s a
>> > homage to DEC’s version numbers ;). Though actually the version
>> > history file can be called what you like.
>> 
>> You can also do that with Fossil.  It's the version control system from
>> the SQLite team.  You can name the /repository/ whatever you like, and
>> a trailing ; doesn't bother SQLite at all.
>
> For lightweight version control, I use RCS -- and if I need something
> more heavy-duty, there's git.

For a new project at home, I set up a local git repo. One I feel
the basics work, I'll move it to github.

For projects on github, if the code is in a lot of flux while I am
in the middle of <laughing> designing it, I use a dated zip file
to hold changes until I get to a point of metastability (the code
builds and basically runs, usually some issues to work on).
Then I'll do a commit.

Been burned by the zip method a few times :-D

-- 
Gerrold's Laws of Infernal Dynamics:
	(1) An object in motion will always be headed in the wrong direction.
	(2) An object at rest will always be in the wrong place.
	(3) The energy required to change either one of these states
	   will always be more than you wish to expend, but never so
	   much as to make the task totally impossible.

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#235354

Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

> On Mon, 17 Aug 2026 23:57:34 +0200, anthk wrote:

>> Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space

And a numeric second file name (as it is called in ITS) is treated as a version
number.  Syntactically, a second file name of ">" is treated as "highest
version" for an input file and "next higher version" for an output file.  "<"
is "oldest version".

> According to Da Wiki <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension>:

  [ snip ]

> The article doesn't mention version numbers, which are/were found on
> some DEC-proprietary systems: TOPS-10/20, VMS.

Tops-10, developed by DEC, does NOT have a concept of version numbers.

TOPS-20 is a licensed superset of TENEX, developed by BBN.  TENEX is what gave
TOPS-20 version numbers.

-- 
Rich Alderson					  news@alderson.users.panix.com
      Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur,
	  omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus.
									--Galen

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#235344

On 8/18/2026 5:57 AM, anthk@not.dev.null wrote:
> 
> Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space

The "dot separator" is just the full-stop
symbol in english language, or the decimal
point in mathematics.

Of course, you can use symbols or punctuation
marks differently. There are no laws to forbid
that.

Don't mystify nor glorify computer technology!
It's still english language after all.

Of course, some daemons do NOT wanna see
certain sacred or holy symbols in various
languages. They will rename, redirect,
shift, swap, invert, twist, turn, ...

I don't wanna go off-topic nor cross-topic.
Well... Meow....  ;)


Full stop - Wikipedia
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_stop>

Punctuation - Wikipedia
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuation>



-- 

    @~@   Simplicity is Beauty! Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch!
   / v \  May the Force and farces be with you! Live long and prosper!!
  /( _ )\ https://sites.google.com/site/changmw/
    ^ ^   https://github.com/changmw/changmw
          The game is afoot... Meow...

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#235345

On 2026-08-23 08:13, Mr. Chang Man-wai wrote:
> On 8/18/2026 5:57 AM, anthk@not.dev.null wrote:
>>
>> Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space
> 
> The "dot separator" is just the full-stop
> symbol in english language, or the decimal
> point in mathematics.

In Unix/Linux filesystems, that is so. But before that became 
ubiquitous, the parts of the filesystem were separate fixed-length 
fields in the file directory entries, and the separators were not in the 
file directory, but were added as syntactic sweeteners in the command 
language and the display routines.

-- 
Lars Poulsen - an old geek in Santa Barbara, California

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#235347

On Sun, 23 Aug 2026 11:20:45 -0700, Lars Poulsen wrote:

> On 2026-08-23 08:13, Mr. Chang Man-wai wrote:
>>
>> On 8/18/2026 5:57 AM, anthk@not.dev.null wrote:
>>>
>>> Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space
>>
>> The "dot separator" is just the full-stop symbol in english
>> language, or the decimal point in mathematics.
>
> In Unix/Linux filesystems, that is so.

No. There is nothing in Unix/Linux/POSIX which decrees the name.ext
syntax for anything.

Some tools (e.g. Make) may assume that for determining dependencies.
But the kernel doesn’t care, and nor does most of the userland.

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#235349

On 24/08/2026 6:11 AM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Aug 2026 11:20:45 -0700, Lars Poulsen wrote:
> 
>> On 2026-08-23 08:13, Mr. Chang Man-wai wrote:
>>>
>>> On 8/18/2026 5:57 AM, anthk@not.dev.null wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space
>>>
>>> The "dot separator" is just the full-stop symbol in english
>>> language, or the decimal point in mathematics.
>>
>> In Unix/Linux filesystems, that is so.
> 
> No. There is nothing in Unix/Linux/POSIX which decrees the name.ext
> syntax for anything.
> 
> Some tools (e.g. Make) may assume that for determining dependencies.
> But the kernel doesn’t care, and nor does most of the userland.

Nor WordPerfect for DOS.  The /dad joke/ I wrote earlier, for some value
of earlier, was written in WordPerfect for DOS, and I named the file
folklore.alt.  There was no room for the computers in the D.O.S. file-
name.
-- 
Johann | email: invalid -> com | http://www.myrkraverk.com/blog/
I'm not from the Internet, I just work there. | via Easynews.com
https://bsky.app/profile/myrkraverk.bsky.social | for ( ;; ) _:;

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#235355

Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

> On Sun, 23 Aug 2026 11:20:45 -0700, Lars Poulsen wrote:

>> On 2026-08-23 08:13, Mr. Chang Man-wai wrote:

>>> On 8/18/2026 5:57 AM, anthk@not.dev.null wrote:

>>>> Under ITS I think they were just separated by a space

>>> The "dot separator" is just the full-stop symbol in english
>>> language, or the decimal point in mathematics.

>> In Unix/Linux filesystems, that is so.

> No. There is nothing in Unix/Linux/POSIX which decrees the name.ext
> syntax for anything.

You once again misunderstand:  The operating system treats the file name
atomically in Unix, so that the "dot separator" has no syntactic function
there.  *Applications* may take cognizance of "dot extenstions", or may ignore
them.

-- 
Rich Alderson					  news@alderson.users.panix.com
      Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur,
	  omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus.
									--Galen

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#235357

On 8/24/2026 2:20 AM, Lars Poulsen wrote:
> 
> In Unix/Linux filesystems, that is so. But before that became
> ubiquitous, the parts of the filesystem were separate fixed-length
> fields in the file directory entries, and the separators were not in the
> file directory, but were added as syntactic sweeteners in the command
> language and the display routines.


In typical letters management (talking about
physical letters, paper ones), how would you
assign a name to a letter? Is there a file
extension kind of thing?

-- 

    @~@   Simplicity is Beauty! Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch!
   / v \  May the Force and farces be with you! Live long and prosper!!
  /( _ )\ https://sites.google.com/site/changmw/
    ^ ^   https://github.com/changmw/changmw
          The game is afoot... Meow...

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#235358

On 25/08/2026 1:15 AM, Mr. Chang Man-wai wrote:
> On 8/24/2026 2:20 AM, Lars Poulsen wrote:
>>
>> In Unix/Linux filesystems, that is so. But before that became
>> ubiquitous, the parts of the filesystem were separate fixed-length
>> fields in the file directory entries, and the separators were not in the
>> file directory, but were added as syntactic sweeteners in the command
>> language and the display routines.
> 
> 
> In typical letters management (talking about
> physical letters, paper ones), how would you
> assign a name to a letter? Is there a file
> extension kind of thing?
> 

This one is easy.  You put the letter in an envelope, then put a name
one the envelope.  Then you put the same name on a credit card sized
/index card/, and put the index card in the drawer that has the same
first letter as the name you put on the envelope in the first place.

This is called /library magick/, and has typically not been used since
the 1970s, so I've added alt.magick to the conversation.

For further reference, please consult your nearest non-computer indexed
physical library.  Finding one in 2026 is the purview of alt.magick.


Happy reading library books!
-- 
Johann | email: invalid -> com | http://www.myrkraverk.com/blog/
I'm not from the Internet, I just work there. | via Easynews.com
https://bsky.app/profile/myrkraverk.bsky.social | for ( ;; ) _:;

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#235361

On 8/25/2026 3:28 AM, Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson wrote:
> 
> This one is easy.  You put the letter in an envelope, then put a name
> one the envelope.  Then you put the same name on a credit card sized
> /index card/, and put the index card in the drawer that has the same
> first letter as the name you put on the envelope in the first place.
That's just a library trick

But in the naming method,
which is the file name?
Which is the file name extension? :)

Library of Congress Classification - Wikipedia
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress_Classification>

librarian - Google 搜尋
<https://www.google.com/search?q=librarian>



-- 

    @~@   Simplicity is Beauty! Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch!
   / v \  May the Force and farces be with you! Live long and prosper!!
  /( _ )\ https://sites.google.com/site/changmw/
    ^ ^   https://github.com/changmw/changmw
          The game is afoot... Meow...

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