Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!jbray@bbn-unix From: jbray@bbn-unix@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: Funny characters in filenames Message-ID: <3513@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Wed, 27-Jul-83 11:08:33 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.3513 Posted: Wed Jul 27 11:08:33 1983 Date-Received: Fri, 29-Jul-83 06:36:16 EDT Lines: 14 From: James Bray[Special characters in filenames] sure as heck do cause problems. I was just talking to someone who was having what appeared to be filesystem problems: it ended up after a lot of other weirdness that there were apparently two distinct live entries in a directory with the same name. I od'd the thing and the mystery became clear: one of them had a mispelling and a couple of backspaces in it. The victim's .profile had gotten lost somehow, and they were set up with default characters. I myself would be quite happy if filenames were as restricted as C identifiers, altho' a lot of stuff would have to be rewritten... In addition to alphanumerics and underbar, it might be a good idea to allow a few things like ".+-", and perhaps even "~". But I would like to see them much more restricted than they are now. --Jim Bray