Comment by machomaster
4 days ago
> Not even a folder with a fake .mkv and a "codec installer" next to it like the "good old days". Just the exe. Are we deadass.
We can thank Microsoft for their willful support of criminals by having file extensions be hidden by default in Windows.
I rarely use Windows these days but that is the first setting I always change. MacOS hides a lot of them too by default, sadly.
But on MacOS it doesn’t matter, right?
Correct, on most unix-like it doesn’t matter because extensions are for the Desktop Environment not execution.
I'll never forget when they autorun everything on an USB. Good times.
Most users nowadays don't even know what file extension is .
I've heard horror stories of recent generations not understanding files and directories, or even how to use a search engine.
Tell me if you are using "directories", "cabinets/drawers", "folders" or "collections/projects/groups/vaults" and I can tell about this person's technical background. :-)
10 replies →
It doesn't help that Windows has hid file extensions since 7.
Nope. Try 95.
https://nunzioweb.com/misc/show_file_extensions.htm
Ehhh been a lot longer than that, if memory serves.
for executable files, unix has always been rid of file extensions.
(please don't feel the need to point out how you can use more words to say more, that's always true, our goal here is to use less words, no need for extensions to that)
> Are we deadass.
As someone who remembers Napster being new, I am happy to see the kids rediscovering the real joys of Piracy!
Napster! I remember when you had to wait for your malware that you’d ordered from the back of a magazine to arrive by post, on floppy discs!
Of course, once it had collected your data, you had to post it back.
Bah, youngun! Punching holes in a card cut out of a Frankenberry box built character!
And it's even on by default on Windows server builds. :|
As opposed to OSs that use an invisible execute bit?
Not really relevant to the discussion.
But I do personally agree, that better extensions (e.g. for exec files) in Linux would be a really good thing. I have the same gripe with Linux's case sensitivity of files and dirs. Fine if you want to make the file name more legible by using CamelCase or something, and this needs to be displayed as such. But it's madness that one directory can have the files with the same exact name (case written notwithstanding).
Heck, I fondly remember my DOS days when directories and files were easily distinguishable, since the former ones were always written in CAPS. Not saying that we should bring it back or anything.
Of course it is relevant. It's not like other OSs make it more visible: the x bit is invisible. Bashing Windows for making it invisible without an alternative is just populist point scoring on HN. I guess the x bit is less likely to be transferred over BitTorrent although it wouldn't surprise me if there was some extension for it like there is for ZIP files. (BEP 0047 seems to cover the x bit).
3 replies →
> Heck, I fondly remember my DOS days when directories and files were easily distinguishable, since the former ones were always written in CAPS.
That must have been the conventions of some third-party file manager (Norton Commander?), because DOS stored and showed everything as uppercase, both directories and files.
1 reply →