Simon TathamMar 4

A "naming things is hard" anecdote I was just reminded of by an old web page:

In the 1990s, when 32-bit versions of Windows were introduced, a new executable file format was needed for native 32-bit programs. The existing 16-bit file format used by Windows 3.x was called "NE", for "New Executable". The 32-bit one was named "PE", for "Portable Executable".

Windows 95 could still run 16-bit Windows 3.x programs. But Windows 3.x couldn't run the newer 32-bit ones. (Ok, there was Win32s, but it had very restricted usefulness.)

In other words, the format called "New" was the older one of the two, *and* the format called "Portable" was the one that didn't work everywhere!

Show threadKim GräsmanMar 4
@simontatham At least 'P' > 'N'
Show threadSimon Tatham
@kimgr ah, interesting point – perhaps there was an OE format in between that never saw the light of day :-)
Mar 4 at 4:49pmWeb
Show threadKim GräsmanMar 4
@simontatham Open Executable has a certain official ring to it :)
Show threadSteve HoldenMar 4

@kimgr Not from Microsoft in that era. Even Ken Olsen was calling Unix "snake oil."

Entrenched players always scream when they get hurt, but that's a fact of life: if you measure worth by revenue instead of benefit to identifiable individuals, people will hate you for making their lives worse.

Show threadGarrett WollmanMar 5
@simontatham @kimgr The original format was MZ which is also lexicographically before NE and PE.
Show threadKim GräsmanMar 6
@wollman @simontatham Good thing he wasn't called Zoran Zbikowski. Also, such innocent times when you'd put your initials in the executable format of a mainstream consumer operating system 😍
Show threadGarrett WollmanMar 7
@kimgr @simontatham The magic numbers for UFS (both the original Berkeley Fast File System and the later UFS2) are Kirk McKusick's birth date in BCD.