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The Unix (Linux and Mac inherit this) idea of a leading dot = hidden is almost certainly from the days before file attributes were even invented (err available
by gerdesj 9y ago
The Unix (Linux and Mac inherit this) idea of a leading dot = hidden is almost certainly from the days before file attributes were even invented (err available on Unix). Don't quote me on that and I can't be arsed to do the research but it certainly sounds possible!
In Linux it is a bit of an arse. My home directory looks absolutely rubbish when I view it on a Windows box, which I do with monotonous regularity when fixing the bloody things (Windows boxes that is.)
- ams6110 9y agoI suppose that could be, I don't know either. I think it's more likely from the early days where users were interacting over slow teletypes or terminals, and having a convention that hid rarely-interesting files by default was more efficient.
- loeg 9y agoIt was a bug in ls. The intent was to hide only "." and "..". https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/88875/why-are-filenames-that-start-with-a-dot-hidden-can-i-hide-files-without-using-a https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/88875/why-are-filen...
- mintplant 9y agoIt started out as unintended behavior of some code in "ls" which was put in to skip "." and ".." when printing directory listings. https://plus.google.com/+RobPikeTheHuman/posts/R58WgWwN9jp https://plus.google.com/+RobPikeTheHuman/posts/R58WgWwN9jp The concept of a "hidden file" was an accidental invention.