[Patentcenter] Are file names in MacOS case sensiitive or insensitive?

[Gerry J. Elman]

My recollection from the 1980s when I worked with Apple and Windows software,  is that Microsoft file names had 3-letter extensions following a dot, such as   .txt   or  .pdf      Whereas classic Macintosh files consisted of two parts: a data fork and a resource fork.  The resource fork included information that would identify the application to be called in order to process the contents of the data fork.  So information about whether the file contents should be processed by an application that interprets data in Portable Document Format wouldn’t depend on a three-letter extension in the file name but rather on a pertinent entry in the resource fork

I don't know how the efforts by Apple to facilitate compatibility with Microsoft files have evolved.  But I'd be surprised if Apple's OS today happens to give particular significance to the capitalization of a 3- or 4-character string at the end of a file name.  Is anyone on this listserv familiar with the current state of Apple file structure?


-Gerry
Gerry J. Elman
Elman IP, 6117 St James Pl, Denton TX 76210-0421
610-892-9942   https://elman.com


-------- Original message --------
From: Patent Lawyer via Patentcenter <patentcenter at oppedahl-lists.com>
Date: 11/12/23 12:09 PM (GMT-06:00)
To: patentcenter at oppedahl-lists.com
Cc: Patent Lawyer <patentlawyer995 at gmail.com>, David Boundy <DavidBoundyEsq at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Patentcenter] Are file names in MacOS case sensiitive or insensitive?

By “default” on the Mac, filenames are case agnostic (“FILE.PDF” has the same name as “file.PDF”).

BUT, the Mac file system has an option to work in a case-sensitive mode (there’s an option to format a disk as “Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive)”).
See https://support.apple.com/lt-lt/guide/disk-utility/dsku19ed921c/mac
The example they give in that mode is: “folders named “Homework” and “HOMEWORK” are two different folders.”

I don’t know if the suffix (e.g., “pdf” or “PDF”) is considered part of the filename when it comes to case sensitivity.


From: Patentcenter <patentcenter-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com> on behalf of Patentcenter Patentcenter <patentcenter at oppedahl-lists.com>
Reply-To: Patentcenter Patentcenter <patentcenter at oppedahl-lists.com>
Date: Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 10:41 AM
To: Patentcenter Patentcenter <patentcenter at oppedahl-lists.com>
Cc: David Boundy <DavidBoundyEsq at gmail.com>
Subject: [Patentcenter] Are file names in MacOS case sensiitive or insensitive?

WOuld any Mac applicaiton care about filename.pdf vs filename.PDF (could you even have two files in teh same folder with same name jsut different case?  Windows won't allow it.)

--

[Image removed by sender.]
<https://www.iam-media.com/strategy300/individuals/david-boundy>

David Boundy | Partner | Potomac Law Group, PLLC

P.O. Box 590638, Newton, MA  02459

Tel (646) 472-9737 | Fax: (202) 318-7707

dboundy at potomaclaw.com<mailto:dboundy at potomaclaw.com> | www.potomaclaw.com<http://www.potomaclaw.com>

Articles at http://ssrn.com/author=2936470<http://ssrn.com/author=2936470>
<https://www.keynect.us/requestCardAccess/USA500DBOUN?>

Click here to add me to your contacts.<https://www.keynect.us/requestCardAccess/USA500DBOUN?>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://oppedahl-lists.com/pipermail/patentcenter_oppedahl-lists.com/attachments/20231114/8a9e379e/attachment.html>