[Coco] Re: File extensions, was: Re: Portal-9 bug report

[Ward Griffiths]

On Tuesday 19 October 2004 12:34 pm, Arthur Flexser wrote:
> On Tue, 19 Oct 2004, Dennis Bathory-Kitsz wrote:
> > I'm not defending the process of hiding extensions, only the
> > *reasonableness of the choice made* given the expectations and the
> > era and the marketing needs -- we were only a few years out of the
> > CLI days, and shaking off that geek-oriented interface was
> > absolutely crucial to sales. In such terms (including
> > pre-installed, full versions, and upgrages) Windows 95 was the
> > single most successful operating system in history. The correct
> > choices *were* made for the general public at the time. (This
> > article is interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95)
> >
> > The decision made to hide extensions (as well as use
> > shortcuts/icons to stand in the place of text names) was a very
> > good consumer choice, and still is.
>
> I'd disagree with the "still is" claim, in today's virus-infested
> environment. Extensions shown should be the Windows default, with
> hiding as an option.  I cannot imagine that anyone nowadays would be
> deterred from buying a Windows computer simply on this account.
> Someone that clueless wouldn't know how to display a directory of
> filenames in the store anyways.

I can't imagine why anybody would buy a machine so prone to disease as a 
'doze box, but I guess it's just me.  Courtesy of doing RSCC tech 
support in the early '80s, I wound up learning Unix (Xenix, and don't 
remind me it was almost a Microsoft product) before MS-DOS showed its 
ugly head, and the descendants of DOS have never attracted me much -- 
hell, I mostly use windowing systems on my Linux boxen so I can have 
extra terminal interfaces.

Yes, I do 'doze support -- in my own house.  Though Mi Esposa is 
gradually drifting Linuxwards.  One more serious system crap, I think 
she'll come the rest of the way to the free side.  No, I don't think 
she'll ever understand my love for the old Tandy gear.  That'd be like 
expecting me to comprehend her love for that crappy cop show "Starsky 
and Hutch" that I generally didn't watch during first run because the 
USAF had me fixing planes during the evening shift.  (Caught a few 
episodes -- didn't like it then, doubt I'd like it now even if some of 
the clothes still fit).
-- 
Ward Griffiths    wdg3rd at comcast.net    http://home.comcast.net/~wdg3rd/

You had to admire the way perfectly innocent words were mugged, ravaged,
stripped of all true meaning and decency, and then sent to walk the
gutter for Reacher Gilt, although "synergistically" had probably been a
whore from the start.                 -- Terry Pratchett, _Going Postal_