Why did you use the .MyD extension?

[Leolo]

Jeroen,

Just out of curiosity. Why? Why .MyD?

Wouldn't have been better and niftier using .MyDefrag ?

I've always heard people talk about compatibility problems with extensions longer than 3 characters. But I still haven't seen those problems in real life.

And in this day and age we have Windows using a pure 32 bit (sometimes even 64 bit!) NT kernel, and we also have technologies like VFAT for FAT filesystems and Unicode for NTFS filesystems.

So, are those compatibility problems for real? Or are they just urban legends?

Kind regards.

[amk]

May be better to use both extensions, .MyDefrag also as .Myd

[Falcon4]

I'd been using .torrent files for so long, I totally forgot how long the extension ".torrent" is.

Good point, IMO. Making the script files ".MyDefrag" would eliminate compatibility problems with .MYD MySQL data files as well

[jeroen]

Wouldn't have been better and niftier using .MyDefrag ?

Perhaps it would have been allright to use a long extension, such as ".mydefrag". I don't know if that might have caused any problems, the standard is short extensions so I am just following suit. MySQL is also using ".myd", but in totally separate directories and not for doubleclicking, and MyDefrag will just exit with a syntax error if it is given a MySQL file.

[Huggu]

MyDefrag is designed for win2k and newer windows os. all those os support long extension. there should be no problems using long extensions and we avoid type collisions.

mysql for example is portable to other os and so the extensions needs to bee portable too.

[Leolo]

Jeroen,

I don't know if that might have caused any problems, the standard is short extensions so I am just following suit.

Perhaps I'm nitpicking, but to be completely correct it should be pointed out that the short extensions were the standard years ago. They are no longer considered "standard". We have a lot of short extensions because they are a legacy and have been short for so many years, that it would be counter-productive to change them just now. It would confuse people.

However, for new programs, like MyDefrag, it's better and recommended to use longer extensions, to avoid collision with other programs.

Take a look at Microsoft, for example. They have also started to use longer extensions (.manifest files are a good example)

Also, using a unique extension gives you, as a bonus, the possibility of having an exclusive icon to recognize your files. Right now you are clashing with people who had personalized MySQL files with their own icon.

Given that MyDefrag is still a beta, I think it wouldn't be too disruptive to change the extension. It would cause very few inconveniences in the short term, and be better for the long term.

Regards.

[jeroen]

Right now you are clashing with people who had personalized MySQL files with their own icon.

The .myd extension is used by MySQL for 1 of the files in which a database is stored, in a special subdirectory with other database tables. Only the MySQL server uses these files, they are in a special format and they cannot be directly accessed, looked at, or changed by any other application than MySQL itself. They are internal files.

There is no chance of a clash, using a short extension avoids problems, and I like the ".MyD" extension and am also using it in the logo. I am sorry but in my option this is a non-issue and I will not switch to ".mydefrag" or something like that.

[Leolo]

Ok. I agree that there's probably very few people customizing icons for different file extensions (most people don't bother doing that), so I guess that the clashing would be reduced to a few geeks with too much time in their hands

And yes, using a short extension avoids problems with MS-DOS and Windows 95/98. But your program doesn't work under those operating systems, so in the end there's no technical benefit in using short ones.

It is, after all, a question of liking and preferences. If you like .MyD better, then I'm afraid I cannot argue with that

As the saying goes different strokes for different folks

Kind regards.

[robert]

If I have a vote mine would be for "mydefrag", it's simple and completely unambiguous.

I just googled "myd" and sure there's nothing that really stands out as owning it (with the possible, just, exception of mysql) but there are a lot of minor contenders ("Myd recovery software collection", "Manhattan Young Democrats", "New Zealand Ministry of Youth Development").

OTOH, Google already knows mydefrag is you.