Re: Is it just style or another reason?

From: Raffael Cavallaro (raffael_at_mediaone.net)
Date: 10/04/03 

Date: 3 Oct 2003 16:49:53 -0700

Pascal Bourguignon <spam@thalassa.informatimago.com> wrote in message news:<87isn7jwbn.fsf@thalassa.informatimago.com>...
> The reason why MacOS and MS-Windows file systems are not case
> sensitive is because they're targeted to dumb people who can't be
> precise in their spellings (and let me ask you what importance since
> they'll designate their files by clicking on their icons anyway?!).

Because:
1. Directory listings can be, and often are, sorted by name, even in
the Mac GUI, and it makes no sense from a user standpoint to do unix
style "alphabetization" (in quotes because unix, case sensitive
"alphabetization" is broken from a natural language speaker's
perspective).

2. Automated tools, such as scripts, which will be written by
programmers, but used by users, will do the right thing.

Experience with the majority of users shows that Case Insensitive Case
Preserving is the way to go.

BTW, characterizing Mac OS as "targeted to dumb people" is not going
to make you very popular here - lots of correspondents to this group
use Mac OS X.

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