Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!veritas!geoff
From: geoff@Veritas.COM (Geoffrey Leach)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: 14 character limitation in filenames
Message-ID: <1991Jan30.151401.20130@Veritas.COM>
Date: 30 Jan 91 15:14:01 GMT
References: <290@sps.com>
Organization: VERITAS Software
Lines: 25

From article <290@sps.com>, by arm@sps.com (Annette Myjak):
> can anyone explain why there's the 14 character limitation in filenames
> (11 + 3 for extension) in interactive unix?

Its a consequence of how the directory file is organized.  Use 'od -c' on
the '.' file in a directory to see how it looks.

> is this common for all 386 based unices?

For those based on svr3 (or v7, for that matter).  The bsd file system has
a different orginization.  Vendors that do their own os work have the option
of changing it, of course.

> is this limitation likely to be overcome anytime soon?

SVR4 provides both the SVR3 and BSD file systems.  When the file system is 
created, you get to choose.  The possibility of other file system types
being added also exists.

> enquiring minds want to know!  (this limitation is making it difficult
> to port a fairly extensive software system.)

The irony of it all is that as long as the possibility of short names exists,
everyone should operate as if long names didn't.  But of course, that wont 
happen.