Re: Saving an AudioFile without an extension
Re: Saving an AudioFile without an extension
- Subject: Re: Saving an AudioFile without an extension
- From: Richard Dobson <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 18:44:40 +0100
I am obviously, somehow, failing to make myself clear:
m wrote:
Far be from me to presume to challenge the status quo, but why do
people think that somehow offering the user the extended choice of
filename paradigm is so problematic?
You were the one who thought extension-less file names were a problem.
??
They ARE a problem for anyone who routinely exchanges soundfiles across
platforms, a practice that is likely to increase considerably with time.
Apple themselves clearly also acknowledge that extensionless files can
be a problem. I recognise extensionless names as the "status quo" on the
Mac, and fully understand the need to retain compatibility with the
existing Mac modus operandi.
I am trying to affirm the virtues of ~extending~ that status quo, as per
the Apple guidelines, to include format extensions for platform-agnostic
soundfiles. Many apps are already doing this (notably cross-platform
tools such as Audacity), and I expect this number to increase, despite
continued resistance in some quarters.
..
And for saving:
Type/Creator plus hidden format extension
Type/Creator plus visible format extension
Type/Creator no format extension (for backwards compatibility: the
only pattern deprecated in the guidelines)
Ok, so you've now convinced yourself that you need a way to save a file
without extensions while preserving the OSes ability to know the type of
file.
I have done no such thing, and I personally have neither the need nor
the desire to save a soundfile without an extension. Rather, I have
shown that I fully acknowledge the need of established mac users to do
that, while arguing for ADDING the support for extensions as expressly
recommended by Apple.
In short:
* Established practice on the Mac since the early days = extensionless
filenames, using Type/Creator info.
* Problem: extensionless soundfiles are not portable cross-platform.
* Context: OS X is based on unix, whether you like it or not; OS X has a
command-line environment (at last); extensions are idiomatic to unix,
and are widely used throughout OS X (not least to write C and C++
programs!), but in most cases (e.g. the .app extension) this reality is
thoughtfully hidden from the user.
* For OS X Apple recommend: continue to support established practice
using Type/Creator info, PLUS incorporate ADDED support for file
extensions, giving the user control over the choice.
All I am doing is agreeing with Apple, strangely enough.
I cannot state things more clearly than this, and I continue to hope
that the new applications being developed will, in the end, be able to
both read and write soundfile names with extensions, as per the
Guidelines, under user control.
Richard Dobson
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