"-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
t, BAMDUA 
                     Sa Francisc area Morro user