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Linus Torvalds Expresses His Hatred For Case-Insensitive File-Systems
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this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2025
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Remember that 99% of the time that's gonna be because of a typo for 99% users. They won't have
File.txt,FILE.TXTandFiLe.tXt, they'll haveReportMay.docxandREportMay.docxor whatever.And yeah, that includes me. I don't want case-sensitivity for that reason alone. Thanks, but no thanks.
I prefer computers do what I tell them to rather than what it thinks I meant to tell it to. If I screw up, why isn't it on me to fix it? And why aren't you proofing data entry before accepting it?
Do you also turn off autocorrect? As for why I'm not proofreading my entries? I am. But typos happen. Try to put yourself into the shoes of the average office drone or consumer just using a PC as a tool. I'm pretty sure I've harped on this before, but most people aren't experts or enthusiasts, they just want a working computer that's as simple to use as possible. The benefits of a case sensitive-file system are far outweighed by how susceptible it is to user error.
How is it not data, usually key data, no less? It requires a unique path/filename combination, has to be human readable, is entered by a user. Not traditionally what one would think of as data entry, but is data that is entered and referenced. And unless you only use the recent view for finding files, knowing that the name is entered as intended seems rather important.
And perhaps I am also secretly a machine.
So? Numbers need to be human readable and entered by humans, too, and I've seen discussions about the proper pronunciation of 1.32. There are a number of ways that appear equally useful, but there is a convention that has been applied to remove ambiguity. And that convention is ignored in areas where other issues are more important. That convention is no more natural than writing itself, yet most people beyond a basic level of numeracy (and, perhaps, English fluency) know it. Moreover, filenames, just like numbers, need to be computer readable, as well, and conventions have been applied. Some of those conventions were constrained by the capabilities of computers of the time, just like with dates.
And people are very much case-aware. IF THEY WERENT, WHY ARE ALL CAPS COMMENTS INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY?
Do you actually have a case sensitive filesystem? Because in reality I don't even notice it when doing normal work. It seems like such a weird thing to be crying about.
I've used Linux, yes. And I'm not "crying" I just find it annoying. Good grief.