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We should all just be grateful they didn't copy the file and drive conventions from TRSDOS which was the operating system for Tandy's TRS-80 line of computers.

by tssva 7y ago

We should all just be grateful they didn't copy the file and drive conventions from TRSDOS which was the operating system for Tandy's TRS-80 line of computers. Like MS-DOS file names were 8 characters with a 3 character extension however the extension was separated not with a period but a forward slash. Also files could have a password which was separated from the name/ext by a period. Disk drives we're referenced by numbers, 0-7, and separated from the name/ext.password by a colon. For example copying a file from one drive to another could look like "copy ascii/txt.foofum:0 ascii/txt.feefum:1". If you wanted a listing of all the txt files on the current drive the command would be "dir /txt". The file system wasn't hierarchical so there was path separator.

sd_mikey 7y ago
One of the many reasons for the “Trash-80” name.
- tssva 7y ago
  Whoa, let's not go crazy! Just because the naming conventions, which weren't crazy for the day, would cause issues today doesn't mean you get to call my first child, I mean computer, a "Trash-80". I didn't stand for it then and I won't now.
ringshall 7y ago
" The file system wasn't hierarchical so there was path separator. " Do you mean the opposite?
- tssva 7y ago
  A typo. It was non-hierarchical so there was no path separator.
13of40 7y ago
Like the article says, hindsight is 20/20. If it was 1977 and TRSDOS was the only thing that transformed your expensive brick into something capable of copying a file from one drive to another you might be more of a fan.
- tssva 7y ago
  In 1977 the drive on my Tandy provided expensive brick was a tape drive but in 1979 I built a LNW System Expansion which added a floppy controller and TRSDOS became what transformed my expensive brick into something capable of copying a file from one of my newly acquired drives to another. I sometimes become nostalgic regarding my TRS-80 Model I but it never involves TRSDOS. TRSDOS was a steaming pile. There were other operating systems available for the TRS-80 but they added features or fixed bugs. They maintained compatibility with TRSDOS as far as file naming went. But my comment really wasn't a criticism of the choices made regarding naming then but more about the scope of issues that would be faced in naming conflicts between a hypothetical Windows based upon the TRSDOS conventions and unix systems today. It would make the "\" vs "/" issues seem like a walk in the park.
barrkel 7y ago
From the article: > Note that the odd numbers in square brackets are the TOPS-10 way of specifying directories. Good thing DOS didn’t adopt that one. DOS did in fact adopt square brackets for specifying (named, not numeric) directories; you see them in square brackets with the '/w' (wide format) option.

by tssva 7y ago

sd_mikey 7y ago

One of the many reasons for the “Trash-80” name.

tssva 7y ago
Whoa, let's not go crazy! Just because the naming conventions, which weren't crazy for the day, would cause issues today doesn't mean you get to call my first child, I mean computer, a "Trash-80". I didn't stand for it then and I won't now.

ringshall 7y ago

" The file system wasn't hierarchical so there was path separator. " Do you mean the opposite?

tssva 7y ago
A typo. It was non-hierarchical so there was no path separator.

13of40 7y ago

Like the article says, hindsight is 20/20. If it was 1977 and TRSDOS was the only thing that transformed your expensive brick into something capable of copying a file from one drive to another you might be more of a fan.

tssva 7y ago
In 1977 the drive on my Tandy provided expensive brick was a tape drive but in 1979 I built a LNW System Expansion which added a floppy controller and TRSDOS became what transformed my expensive brick into something capable of copying a file from one of my newly acquired drives to another. I sometimes become nostalgic regarding my TRS-80 Model I but it never involves TRSDOS. TRSDOS was a steaming pile. There were other operating systems available for the TRS-80 but they added features or fixed bugs. They maintained compatibility with TRSDOS as far as file naming went. But my comment really wasn't a criticism of the choices made regarding naming then but more about the scope of issues that would be faced in naming conflicts between a hypothetical Windows based upon the TRSDOS conventions and unix systems today. It would make the "\" vs "/" issues seem like a walk in the park.

barrkel 7y ago

From the article: > Note that the odd numbers in square brackets are the TOPS-10 way of specifying directories. Good thing DOS didn’t adopt that one. DOS did in fact adopt square brackets for specifying (named, not numeric) directories; you see them in square brackets with the '/w' (wide format) option.