The Be FAQs

The Be FAQs
The BeOS

What is the character limit for file/folder/etc. names on the BeOS?

The BeOS:
Features

FAQ Number:
FAQ-0053

Last Modified:
2/3/98

Keywords:
BeOS, Features, file, name, limit, character, file system

The Be File System supports file names of up to 256 characters. In other words, a file named "A letter I wrote and sent to my mother in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven" has a name which is actually less than half as long (96 characters) as it could have been.

Plug-in "foreign" file systems mounted under the BeOS may have more restrictive limits inherent in their design. For example, HFS (Mac) supports a maximum of 31 character file names ("Letter to Mom, sent 5/5/97"), and the inimitable FAT (DOS and Windows 3.x) restricts you to 8-DOT-3 character names ("LETR2MOM.DOC").

What is the maximum number of files the BeOS can support?

How big can file attributes be?

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The Be FAQs

What is the character limit for file/folder/etc. names on the BeOS?