David Mann wrote:
> On Feb 20, 2004, at 18:59, Stan Halpin wrote:
> > Warning: semi-informed speculation follows. > The .html is the
> > original form. Windows-based servers were limited by the original 8.3
> > MS-DOS limitations and so truncated the .html to .htm Unix/Linux based
> > servers were not so limited and could use the more descriptive .html
> > (which of course stands for HTML). < End speculation.
>
> I'm pretty sure you're right there. Windows can now handle longer
> filenames so why .htm is still used is beyond me.
It's still used because of old MS-DOS _mental_habits_. Even though
most Windows users (and developers) these days have gotten used to
using longer filenames, the ".3" part of the "8.3" filenames seems
to be more brain-sticky. This is probably because of the usual (and
still common) use of extensions to denote file-type leading people
to think "and a three-letter type-cue on the end" even though they
have no problem making the "before the extension" part of the name
as long as they want. The extension is perceived as the "file type"
instead of "part of the filename" -- a perception reinforced by
programs that "helpfully" _hide_ extensions.
And even though ".html" is still exactly that -- a type cue --
habit establishes "types" as three letters long because types on
Windows machines "have always been" three letters long like they
were under MS-DOS. Even though they no longer have to be.
-- Glenn
