"-READ.ME": THOUGHTS ON A BAD TRADITION b Ric Charnes Sa Francisco Jun 27 1987 wit n apologie fo m mood hav kep somethin insid m fo fa to lon an i mus no com ou befor damag something propos a immediat an tota cessatio o ou conventio i th CP/- compatibl worl o givin min-instructio file th ridiculou nam o -READ.ME" Th longe a i th compute worl th mor utterl detes this It' _terrible tradition Tha it' continue s lon i completel beyon m understanding Th situatio occur generall i tw sort o circumstances: (1 insid o *.LBR' an (2 o disk o program sen b softwar manufacturers Th latte situatio i mor forgivable thoug hardly simpl canno understan ho creator o *.LBR hav com t giv s littl though t wha happen AFTE use ha extracte hi file fro library programme mus remembe tha hi particula -READ.M fil wil mos probabl no b th onl on a en use ha o hi system Sure a en use "should immediatel renam an suc-name file bu wh creat suc a unnecessar bother Whe namin thes file w reall mus kee i min ho the wil fi i t user' overal se-u onc integratio take plac int th res o th system No onl doe namin fil -READ.M ris possibl overwritin o anothe b th sam name bu ho i a en user lookin a hi dis director da o tw later suppose t remembe t whic *.LB o ne piec o softwar thi wonderfu -READ.ME fil belongs Th wors transgressio i i librarie mean fo downloadin throug th BB circuit T cal anythin insid on o thes librarie tha wil immediatel b extracte ont dis mos probabl containin man othe file -READ.ME i crimina transgression. Th us o th hyphe i -READ.ME" o course stem fro th desir o th programme t cal attentio t thi file th hyphen whic precede th lette character i ASCI value ensure tha i wil floa t th to i dis sort However thi frequentl conflict wit th muc mor importan nee o catalogin program t hav th dis name/labe a th to o sort a no i th proces o catalogin disk an a absolutel livi a th numbe o -READ.M an othe assorte -XXXX.XXX file hav t wad throug an renam i orde fo m 0 dis nam fil t sor t th top It' simpl infuriating. Let' leav th initia hyphe fo th catalogin program whic nee i muc more believ th assumptio ha bee amon th -READ.ME-ist tha al 0 dis label hav nul filenam an onl numerica typ a i .013" an tha therefor -READ.ME wil com AFTE this Thi i howeve no a al th case Hoff' MCA allow an Stev Cohen' FATCA encourage genuin filename befor th period an thi i i fac preferabl nam fo dis label Thes ca ver easil conflic wit -READ.ME. I ther wer n easil feasibl alternativ tha woul b on thin bu thi i no a al th case hav n contentio wit th ide tha min-do file o thi natur shoul sor t th to i library Similarl se n reaso wh the shoul no b a th to o dis director onc extracte ont user' system Bu wh no exercis littl creativity Unles a gravel mistaken th slas characte ("/" appear t b perfectl vali filenam character a leas i th firs position Th DR CP/ manua o p say i i illega bu a quit convince i i not Ther ar certainl fe program tha won' tak wel t slas i filename amon the m belove MEXPLU (wh d yo thin didn' nam thi articl "/README.ART"?) bu th grea majorit includin WordSta an NewWor hav n proble wit it kno fo fac tha ther i eve somethin calle "/.COM" Th slas (2Fh sort AFTE th hyphe (2Dh bu o cours befor an regula ASCI character suggest then tha th content o librar fo fil calle NUEDIT.CO b name t loo like: /NUEDIT.RMF NUEDIT10.COM NUEDIT10.DOC NUEDIT10.Z80 an none of this absurd: -READ.ME NUEDIT.COM NUEDIT.DOC NUEDIT.Z80 Wha i thi ridiculou -READ.M file Onc extracted ho doe on kno t wha i relates Wit wha othe file i i associated? In my career as a computer enthusiast I have several times com acros thi "*.RMF (Rea M First filetyp ide bu i ha neve caugh on I ha onl bee th wor o fe eccentri soul courageou enoug t brav th wrat o th powerfu an entrenche -READ.ME crowd ca hardl remembe wh thes honorabl gentleme ar a thi point The are/wer simpl bol enoug t stan u fo wha the believ i an d wha i righ eve thoug impossibl outnumbered Ma thei wor liv on. Comment encouraged. Rick Charnes, President, BAMDUA Sa Francisc area Morro user association Z-Nodes #1, #2, #3, #15