[NCLUG] FreeBSD versus Linux?

[Bob Proulx]

Alan Silverstein wrote:
> Hey, is *.tgz shorthand for a gzipped tarchive?  I'll have to try that.

Yes, in the MSDOS 8+3 filename format.  A compaction of .tar.gz with
only one dot it in suitable for use on MSDOS formatted floppy disks.
It is always amazing to me how long these influences stay around.

Many people's first introduction to free and open source software has
come through exposure to it on systems with 8+3 filesystems.  The
first way you learn something usually forms the strongest bonds (a
principle of learning called primacy).  Therefore .tgz ending has
lingered on as people move from the DOS world into the UNIX world.

Personally I wish people would use the more explicit .tar.gz suffix
since it is completely self-documentating.  Thankfully I have not seen
anyone try to shorting the .tar.bz2 endings to something that fits on
a MSDOS floppy disk so perhaps this will all eventually age away.

Bob