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From: s900387@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au (Craig Macbride)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: 14 character limitation in filenames
Message-ID: <1991Jan31.115721.17501@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au>
Date: 31 Jan 91 11:57:21 GMT
References: <290@sps.com> <14679@uudell.dell.com>
Organization: VUT(RMIT), Melbourne, Australia
Lines: 19

jrh@mustang.dell.com (James Howard) writes:

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

>It is not 11+3, but 14 characters period.  (Which would map to 11+2 anyway,
>including the period).

Actually, it's 16-2, if anything. SysV Unix likes directories which have 16-
byte entries for files, which are split into 2-byte unsigned inode number and
14-byte file name. As you pointed out, BSD uses up to 255 chars, by storing
each entry in a variable length.

-- 
 _____________________________________________________________________________
| Craig Macbride, s900387@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au |  Reality is for people who   |
| Only the equipment belongs to Victoria Uni.  | can't handle science fiction.|
| of Technology (RMIT); The opinions are mine. |______________________________|