Why You Can't Name A File CON In Windows

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  • Опубліковано 19 кві 2020
  • The short answer is "backwards compatibility". The long answer is... well, it's the rest of this video.
    MORE BASICS: • The Basics
    Written with Sean Elliott / seanmelliott
    Graphics by William Marler wmad.co.uk
    Audio mix by Graham Haerther haerther.net/
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    (you can find contact details and social links there too)
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    👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

КОМЕНТАРІ • 12 тис.

  • @jyp1716
    @jyp1716 4 роки тому +40337

    *Windows*
    Pro: You can name a file *PRO*
    Con: You can't name a file *CON*

    • @edthanoll1923
      @edthanoll1923 4 роки тому +1073

      Godamn it why did I laugh at this..

    • @alditube
      @alditube 4 роки тому +279

      The same Joke like the top comment, but worse

    • @suhcheuy268
      @suhcheuy268 4 роки тому +62

      NICE

    • @Arterexius
      @Arterexius 4 роки тому +55

      This comment is underestimated 😂

    • @olbradley
      @olbradley 3 роки тому +103

      @@Arterexius That's not what estimated means...

  • @ThisFinalHandle
    @ThisFinalHandle 4 роки тому +3423

    Cons and pros of modern windows file convention.
    Pro: you can use punctuation.
    Con: you still can't use con.

    • @unocualqu1era
      @unocualqu1era 4 роки тому +220

      More like
      Pro: you can use punctuation.
      The specified device name is invalid

    • @CScottyW
      @CScottyW 4 роки тому +175

      Missed opportunity to say “con: there are no cons”

    • @JoeyLindsay
      @JoeyLindsay 4 роки тому +14

      I think you can use punctuation in Unix/Linux systems

    • @predicate
      @predicate 4 роки тому +17

      con: no cons

    • @dhruvchawla5476
      @dhruvchawla5476 4 роки тому +13

      Why can't they just use ext4 :(
      I know it won't fix the naming issue but ext4 > ntfs

  • @shrekfrog
    @shrekfrog 2 роки тому +2464

    In 2018, after finalizing my thesis, I thought of naming the three individual files that I would send to my groupmates "CON", "GRAT", and "ULATIONS". We didn't have a file format or anything since we had to physically print and hardbound the manuscript, so I wanted the names to be lighthearted.
    CON.pdf wouldn't work and I got sucked into a rabbit hole of why files can't be named "CON". Ended up naming the files "CONG", "RAT", and "ULATIONS". This video reminded me of that time!

  • @behemoth9543
    @behemoth9543 Рік тому +154

    I gotta say, that kind of backwards compatability is what makes much of my corporate work even feasible. Sometimes you need the one specific way of accessing a file that people stopped using a decade ago because its worse than the rest in 90% of cases but makes a workaround for the current situation possible.

    • @mjbianks
      @mjbianks Рік тому +14

      Backwards compatibility is what allows younger generations access and explore what someone 20, 40 or so years ago worked on and gain knowledge from it.
      At an infrastructure level systems that were put in place to manage telecom or power networks can be so dated that you need that backwards compatibility just to create new and up to date documentation and even then you keep the originals as reference material.

    • @DanielDuhon
      @DanielDuhon 2 місяці тому

      Workarounds are bad though. That’s what causes crap like this to persist because someone didn’t want to actually just fix the problem.

  • @waynedas873
    @waynedas873 4 роки тому +11669

    When Tom said you could open a Word file from 30 years ago I thought to myself "Wait, they had Word in the '70s?" But no, 30 years ago it was the '90s.

    • @josue285
      @josue285 4 роки тому +1666

      This comment made me make dad noises.

    • @rentbennett
      @rentbennett 4 роки тому +789

      MS-DOS came out in 1981, so you could be opening almost 40 year old text files.

    • @toyamwarr
      @toyamwarr 4 роки тому +252

      My thought was “what computer has a spot for a floppy disc?”

    • @MohitJouhari
      @MohitJouhari 4 роки тому +59

      80's. And how old are you?

    • @goonerw27
      @goonerw27 4 роки тому +130

      Office 2010+ cannot open Word 2.0 documents. :(. It can still open Word 97 docs though.

  • @BurkeMcCabe
    @BurkeMcCabe 4 роки тому +2030

    if you name a Minecraft world "con" it will re-name it "_con_"

    • @user-mm5nc2nm5o
      @user-mm5nc2nm5o 4 роки тому +124

      Makes sense.
      Really.

    • @evangreavu9621
      @evangreavu9621 4 роки тому +192

      I wonder if Notch had to put that in...

    • @kaziahscats
      @kaziahscats 4 роки тому +19

      Magic

    • @patrioticwhitemail9119
      @patrioticwhitemail9119 4 роки тому +353

      *printer starts making cutout origami blocks

    • @RaidenGen
      @RaidenGen 4 роки тому +15

      @@evangreavu9621 My guess is not. But I might be completely wrong here.

  • @richardsequeirateixeira
    @richardsequeirateixeira Рік тому +494

    Tom, you are correct. Some major financial institutions in the UK and US still need to use OS/2 for their computing needs.

    • @Riverrockphotos
      @Riverrockphotos Рік тому +19

      I know its super crazy. I have a loan through a place that still uses some crazy old windows dos system.

    • @chudite
      @chudite Рік тому +3

      @@Riverrockphotos What does the version of windows look like? Does it have a minus button on the left side of the titlebar?

    • @richardsequeirateixeira
      @richardsequeirateixeira Рік тому +23

      Bank of America still uses Windows NT 3.51

    • @BobSmith-dk8nw
      @BobSmith-dk8nw Рік тому +20

      The thing is - a company would have a program created to perform a function.
      Once that program was in use - as long as it performed the function it was designed for - and didn't need to have modifications to it made - they could just keep right on running that program.
      If they changed anything - they might mess it up - so they just kept everything running just the way it always had.
      One problem here - is that the tools that were used to create the program and in fact the source code for that program might be archived on media that they were no longer able to access - as they no longer had a system that could read it.
      Where a company can no longer access their archived programs and data, there are companies whose business is accessing older media - for a price.
      .

    • @vanhuvanhuvese2738
      @vanhuvanhuvese2738 Рік тому +1

      @@Riverrockphotos it shows that you need old tech to have money to lend and the latest tech will have you looking for money from the old tech owners 😂

  • @Noblecorn
    @Noblecorn Рік тому +17

    Naming folders CON on my linux machine to assert dominance.

  • @spoiltmilk6511
    @spoiltmilk6511 4 роки тому +5362

    Tom Scott: Have you ever wondered about why [obscure fact I've never wondered about]?
    Me: Well, I sure do now

    • @viktor7712
      @viktor7712 4 роки тому +16

      spoilt milk that’s how it is indeed

    • @senza4591
      @senza4591 4 роки тому +4

      Thats tom scott for you

    • @plogoo1
      @plogoo1 4 роки тому +8

      Hes wrong. You actually CAN name a directory "CON". From command line type "mkdir \\?\C:\CON" . This will create at folder 📂 at the root of the C:\ drive called CON.

    • @cicada3312
      @cicada3312 4 роки тому +2

      I was like, whaaaaaat, let me try it

    • @CZghost
      @CZghost 4 роки тому +5

      I was actually wondering before, because I somehow found out I cannot save certain filenames and folder names ("con" being one of them), I was actually trying to save those files as an abbreviation to something (I believe "con" was staying for "contact" or "connect" or something similar). It is possible to create those files (or folders) somewhere inside your file tree, but those objects cannot be accessed, nor can you save anything to these files, folders, you cannot remove them and cannot access them. That also means that access denied will deny also removal (it is possible to remove those bugged files and folders, but not with conventional methods). Reason is simple. System thinks you are trying to access a device port that no longer works (or method of access doesn't support that device or simply that device isn't installed), instead of accessing the newly created object. To remove that file or folder (or rename them or otherwise access them), you have to use another operating system (preferably Unix based). Windows/DOS based systems won't be able to interact with these files/folders. A bug in Windows (still present to this day) allows with a special way to create those sort of objects, with no seemable way to interact with them (not even for removal). Linux of course allows creation of those files (heck it allows for creating othwerise conflicting names because unlike Windows/DOS where all files and folders were originally only alphanumerical capital letters based names, the Linux file systems support case sensitive naming (so a file called "Larry" is different than file called "larry"). It is worth noting that it won't work on Windows based file systems (FAT32, NTFS). However, Linux won't check for the reserved file names so it will still allow you to create a file or folder named "con" and such.

  • @konchatzi
    @konchatzi 4 роки тому +3300

    Yea, it really sucks when it’s your name. The account user name couldn’t be Con either. Until I started using it as Kon.

    • @kingvent5005
      @kingvent5005 4 роки тому +67

      Oh so I guess you don't have rainbow in a full 😂😂😡😂😂😡😡😂😡😡😡😡😠😂😉

    • @CreepahJacket
      @CreepahJacket 4 роки тому +644

      @@kingvent5005 what?

    • @Jagerbomber
      @Jagerbomber 4 роки тому +5

      Literally dozens.

    • @user-cw5fk7zr3x
      @user-cw5fk7zr3x 4 роки тому +412

      Kingvent tf this guy on

    • @grey_real
      @grey_real 4 роки тому +187

      @@kingvent5005 bruh?

  • @chloewebb5526
    @chloewebb5526 2 роки тому +555

    This is the exact reason why I always use some version of windows and have never switched to mac, even though I love the workflow that my friend has setup on her mac when producing audio and doing art projects. I am constantly hooking up old junk and using super old audio devices with very old cables, and its nice to be able to still hook up old things to run within the new software i use. Plus when I'm bored I start pulling out all my old computers, audio mixers, synthesizers, drum machines, and all manner of random junk in my computer room, just to play with it all and mess around. It's also awesome that I can still run DOS in windows ten to play old ass video games ^^

    • @goldnutter412
      @goldnutter412 2 роки тому +12

      VMware hell of a drug, always used to have a hardware device for "off book" work kinda thing.. but it has to be plugged in to access something
      doors swing both ways etc.. makes security take much longer than we all expected, heh
      good thing we have genius coders out there, much appreciate them
      It is awesome they added Linux on Windows you can actually create a very low risk env now

    • @goldnutter412
      @goldnutter412 2 роки тому +7

      ah now i remember why i started commenting and reading at the same time
      check out NDC conferences if you like smart people WOW they taught me so much just by putting their videos online. LESSONS FROM APOLLO and ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS are soooooooo good

    • @blairlohnes8103
      @blairlohnes8103 2 роки тому +2

      Agreed. But now I have a house full of old Macs because I need them and old Windows PC's because they are cool... I swear I'm not a hoarder.

    • @adrienneclarke3953
      @adrienneclarke3953 2 роки тому +6

      Same. And even though it's clunky, I still like my old video recorders with the tapes. I bought boxes of tapes. It's good to be able to still download all that stuff.

    • @t.castro4493
      @t.castro4493 2 роки тому +3

      I also run obsolete stuff quite frequently, most often games. Windows is excellent for that. I still have a 32-bit OS here 😅
      I couldn't even set up Mac System 7, too confusing. Meanwhile, I can usually sort out compatibility problems on Windows.
      As for audio software, I once wanted to run ancient versions of Ableton Live 🤭

  • @PhantomSavage
    @PhantomSavage Рік тому +100

    Ironic that Windows is so cautious in making any changes that could affect the backwards compatibility of important documents, yet they seem to break my PC with almost every update they put out with pleasure.

    • @UltraZelda64
      @UltraZelda64 Місяць тому +2

      There is a way to fix that, and it generally involves switching to an operating system that allows you to name files "CON".

  • @kelvin31272
    @kelvin31272 4 роки тому +40554

    You've basically made everyone try name a file CON, good job

    • @rossharper1983
      @rossharper1983 4 роки тому +611

      Easily done.

    • @StrokeMahEgo
      @StrokeMahEgo 4 роки тому +1612

      The biggest con.

    • @eksortso
      @eksortso 4 роки тому +357

      @@rossharper1983 You aren't running Windows, right?

    • @TheDemocrab
      @TheDemocrab 4 роки тому +549

      And everyone else feel like they're superior because they either use OS X or Linux.

    • @user-ju8qg9dx9x
      @user-ju8qg9dx9x 4 роки тому +95

      I think it's the french autocensor

  • @ChristopherTradeshow
    @ChristopherTradeshow 3 роки тому +5678

    "People don't like change"
    I swear if Tom ever wears a blue shirt, I'm not watching ever again

    • @petermarsella6537
      @petermarsella6537 3 роки тому +391

      Tom should absolutely wear a blue shirt on April fools Day and just say nothing about it

    • @nathanjay4788
      @nathanjay4788 3 роки тому +259

      @@petermarsella6537 It would become the new most disliked video on UA-cam.

    • @codygrannemann9506
      @codygrannemann9506 3 роки тому +11

      Whats brackin

    • @deadonentry
      @deadonentry 3 роки тому +11

      You would love asmongold then

    • @Julio974
      @Julio974 3 роки тому +29

      *Sorts Tom’s videos by oldest*

  • @EpikoXailia
    @EpikoXailia 2 роки тому +34

    This was honestly an amazing way to talk about a story, the script or talking points or whatever it is was just so good in my opinion. I love how you wrapped everything up and got everything related to each other at the end, just amazing 🤩

  • @petercolinscott
    @petercolinscott Рік тому +12

    Actually the 29/2/1900 bug comes from QDOS which is what IBMDOS/MSDOS was based on. The internal calendar QDOS used treated every fourth year as a leap year and Lotus which ran on MSDOS calculated dates using the MSDOS calendar.

  • @tnturnip
    @tnturnip 4 роки тому +1740

    "So why should I use Linux?"
    "You can name your file 'con'."

    • @mrbane2000
      @mrbane2000 4 роки тому +8

      You can name it in windows too

    • @hermannpaschulke1583
      @hermannpaschulke1583 4 роки тому +111

      Actually all UNIX-like systems like Linux use device files for almost everything. But they are in the /dev directory

    • @raphaelwaggoner3200
      @raphaelwaggoner3200 4 роки тому +70

      "You also don't have to rely on a corporation for a critical service but meh, who really cares about that these days."

    • @mattp6244
      @mattp6244 4 роки тому +32

      UNIX > micros*ft

    • @nibblrrr7124
      @nibblrrr7124 4 роки тому +54

      Also, UNIX filenames are case-sensitive and can contain almost any symbol (including :"\|?*).
      Also, in text files you don't have to use a newline AND a carriage return character for a line break, as if your monitor was a _particularly stupid_ typewriter.
      Also, it's a real™ operating system. POSIX or GTFO! :^)

  • @CassidyCope
    @CassidyCope 4 роки тому +3251

    I'd totally buy Tom Scott Remastered 2020.

    • @ethanmay4385
      @ethanmay4385 4 роки тому +16

      Someone needs to make this a thing

    • @Thumbsupurbum
      @Thumbsupurbum 4 роки тому +112

      It's rigged, the loot boxes always have red shirts in them.

    • @zeppie_
      @zeppie_ 4 роки тому +45

      I have hundreds of hours in the original Tom Scott and love the game to death, but I can't deny that the controls are VERY outdated

    • @GuilhermeMaia100
      @GuilhermeMaia100 4 роки тому +3

      @@zeppie_ I came to the comments only to say this!

    • @gmg9010
      @gmg9010 4 роки тому

      Casimir Paul totally

  • @JonToft
    @JonToft 2 роки тому +13

    I discovered this 20 years ago when I was trying to create a folder called "Con" for my converted mp3 files. Didin't know why it didn't work until now! Thanks :)

    • @t.castro4493
      @t.castro4493 2 роки тому

      I recommend the game Hypnospace Outlaw if you're feeling nostalgic about that time :)

  • @kanjohn491
    @kanjohn491 2 роки тому +12

    Thoroughly enjoyed this. I have noticed many legacy control panels in Windows 10, but I didn’t know some went all the way back to 3.1!

  • @JonatasAdoM
    @JonatasAdoM 4 роки тому +1937

    It's not the computing museum without that static noise your ears can't pick anymore.

    • @DomenBremecXCVI
      @DomenBremecXCVI 4 роки тому +51

      It's there tho. Can't you hear it?

    • @CJFreeza
      @CJFreeza 4 роки тому +20

      The ping pang of the dial up. The sound of real connection.

    • @potatoface4698
      @potatoface4698 4 роки тому +88

      * *Laughs in tinnitus ear ringing* *

    • @bootifulb4427
      @bootifulb4427 4 роки тому +6

      @@potatoface4698 mood

    • @mattwinward3168
      @mattwinward3168 4 роки тому +2

      @Domen Bremec
      Every. Waking. Moment.

  • @ethancooper1056
    @ethancooper1056 4 роки тому +2343

    "no ones expecting your Iphone to read punchcards"
    Well, there's an app idea for someone.

    • @CaffeinatedTech
      @CaffeinatedTech 4 роки тому +44

      Apple probably already has a patent for it...

    • @Kharmitas
      @Kharmitas 4 роки тому +74

      What'd be more impressive is an app that lets your phone print punchcards

    • @Jake12220
      @Jake12220 4 роки тому +37

      Well a punch card isn't that different to a very low tech QR code, so would definitely be possible.

    • @minigolfkid
      @minigolfkid 4 роки тому +8

      dammit. you beat me to the -wait for it- punch! 😂

    • @poiiihy
      @poiiihy 4 роки тому +11

      an app that decodes a punchcard with the camera is definitely doable

  • @boatsandotherproblems5780
    @boatsandotherproblems5780 Рік тому +5

    LPT stands for Line Printer, they were rotating cylinders with almost the complete character set and the number characters even twice around the circumference in 132 places along the the cylinder with 132 hammers that smacked all the characters required one complete line at a time, if only numbers needed to be printed it would be two lines per revolution, I cant́ remember how fast the cylinder rotated but it crazy spewed out up to four copies using three carbon paper layers in continuous form. The office girls were then asked to strip ... meaning to seperate the copies and carbon paper on a rewinder one layer at a time, good old days.

  • @generaldisarray
    @generaldisarray 2 роки тому +10

    Yip, I remember we had an old system that was set up to use two dot matrix printers, one to spit out invoices and another for shipping labels on pre-printed, continuous paper. The issue was you had to remember to flip the switch on the rotary printer switch and if you didn't, well chaos would ensue. It had been that way for years.
    I came along and a little code change here along with the addition of a second printer port in the computer, and the printer switch and its mass of cables was history.

    • @trianglemoebius
      @trianglemoebius Рік тому +2

      "And if you didn't, chaos would ensue" could be the title of any programmer's biography.

  • @tomaszzagadka979
    @tomaszzagadka979 4 роки тому +3322

    "New stuff should also support the old stuff"
    -Apple has left the chat

    • @JasperJanssen
      @JasperJanssen 4 роки тому +61

      Indeed, Apple’s systems are saddled with less technical debt. That’s what makes them better than windows.

    • @NoTimeForNoodles
      @NoTimeForNoodles 4 роки тому +131

      Ah, so that’s why they support their iOS devices for 6 years whereas most Android phones only get 2 years of feature updates. Oh wait...

    • @yosoyysoyyo
      @yosoyysoyyo 4 роки тому +119

      JakeExpertGames I think they might be talking about the catalina updates, or when the iphone dropped all 32-bit apps a few years ago

    • @bananya6020
      @bananya6020 4 роки тому +86

      @@yosoyysoyyo macos dropped 32bit too. dumb asf esp. when 99% of programs are still 32bjt

    • @QualityDoggo
      @QualityDoggo 4 роки тому +31

      Eh otherwise they're gonna be stuck with it forever. they did it with PowerPC and survived so they know they can do it again... also it's not hard to recompile and update especially if it's on the App Store... which is also what they want :/ There are pros and cons to either approach but it could've been way worse ...

  • @dorinori8189
    @dorinori8189 4 роки тому +6112

    Microsoft: “Wait! Don’t change that code! What if someone needs to open their 30 year old word excel sheets!” Meanwhile at Apple: “Lmao who even uses opengl anymore?”

    • @ZtereoHYPE
      @ZtereoHYPE 4 роки тому +822

      DoriNori" lmao who uses 32 bit apps"

    • @engineergaming5478
      @engineergaming5478 4 роки тому +622

      @Богдан Кондратов apple isn't one of them.

    • @sacwingedbatsatadbitsad4346
      @sacwingedbatsatadbitsad4346 4 роки тому +91

      @@GuardiaNES420 Most games CAN run on OpenGL. Most of them can run DX or Vulkan maybe. Like all Unity games, for example, can be switched from using OpenGL to render to using dx11 by launching them with the "-force-d3d11" argument.

    • @Invizive
      @Invizive 4 роки тому +122

      I don't understand, why not make such compatibility optional so you could choose to install a library to open a specific old file instead of creating a dependency hell that would certainly hit them in the future? We use DOSBox for older files after all.

    • @makak_zeleny
      @makak_zeleny 4 роки тому +67

      @@sacwingedbatsatadbitsad4346 except that not every game is made in unity...

  • @Koolstr
    @Koolstr 2 роки тому +329

    Spot on and thank you for pointing this out for people. This is why I love Windows so much. The backwards compatibility is remarkable. My mother still manages her finances in a 2003 XP version of Microsoft Money that still runs on her latest build Windows 10 PC in 2021. I'd like to see a Mac user run an app from even the previous OS version, or worse yet, from a different architecture (M1 vs Intel vs PPC, SMH).

    • @ElNeroDiablo
      @ElNeroDiablo 2 роки тому +19

      Rosetta let PPC OSX software run on Intel Macs, and Rosetta 2 lets Intel OSX software run on M1 Macs. At a performance cost for the translation processing, but it does work.

    • @Cobalt985
      @Cobalt985 2 роки тому +7

      Speaking of PPC, it's hella fun that I can run most modern Linux programs on an old PPC Mac (given you have a way to install PPC Linux). I used Emacs on my iMac G3 to write a few school assignments.

    • @mrkitty777
      @mrkitty777 2 роки тому +35

      My Abacus from 6000 years ago still calculating, now that's backwards compatibility 😎

    • @calcutt4
      @calcutt4 2 роки тому +8

      I use software that was written in about 1996 on my modern Windows 7 computer

    • @jl789nz
      @jl789nz Рік тому +9

      I'm not saying that Apple is as good at backwards compatibility as windows, but you seem to not know that Apple have built in emulation (called rosetta) for X86 applications so they can run on their new ARM processors, and it does it incredibly well.

  • @starsiegeplayer
    @starsiegeplayer Рік тому +4

    I ran into this a few years ago. We had a project and the abbreviation for a part was Con. Our code broke when it tried to create a directory called CON. I remembered DOS reserved words, looked it up... and was furious.

  • @alexeygros
    @alexeygros 4 роки тому +548

    The pros and ___'s of windows

    • @nicolaifeldthaus4649
      @nicolaifeldthaus4649 4 роки тому +2

      Alexey Grosman hehe

    • @maxican5286
      @maxican5286 4 роки тому +1

      Goose

    • @everydaydose7779
      @everydaydose7779 4 роки тому +2

      porn

    • @lonestarr1490
      @lonestarr1490 4 роки тому +34

      @Богдан Кондратов Yes. It runs all the games.

    • @froniccruxis1049
      @froniccruxis1049 4 роки тому +26

      @@lonestarr1490 and practically all software. If it hasn't been ported it is either unimportant or extremely niche.

  • @WaddleQwacker
    @WaddleQwacker 3 роки тому +2677

    lots of French people probably noticed you can't name a folder "con", because it's an insult in French some people tried to use that as folder names. Me at least.

    • @kyoyeou5899
      @kyoyeou5899 3 роки тому +113

      I was searching for the french person that said this before me xD

    • @James-un8io
      @James-un8io 3 роки тому +21

      @@kyoyeou5899 many French people pointed that out not only him

    • @jolotschka
      @jolotschka 3 роки тому +14

      Vachement mes cons 😂👍

    • @metroplexprime9901
      @metroplexprime9901 3 роки тому +57

      Please enlighten me as to what "con" means in english. Is it an untranslatable but generally insulting word, or is it directly comparable to something?

    • @kyoyeou5899
      @kyoyeou5899 3 роки тому +114

      @@metroplexprime9901 it's "imbecile" but in way harder

  • @mostlymagical3220
    @mostlymagical3220 Рік тому +1

    I like how Tom shows all the great examples of Microsoft backwards compatibility as I sit at my desk looking at a Zune, which has nearly no compatibility with newer versions of windows.

  • @crise_not_found7203
    @crise_not_found7203 2 роки тому

    U actually make my full concept clear and ur expression makes it more intresting

  • @Epinardscaramel
    @Epinardscaramel 4 роки тому +1134

    In French « con » means “moron”, so we just thought that Windows was a bit susceptible.

    • @_akuma06
      @_akuma06 4 роки тому +39

      I've been scrolling through all the comments for this x)

    • @Pordrack
      @Pordrack 4 роки тому +36

      I believed it, and thought it was dumb because way more offensive french swears were allowed.

    • @mrjohnbrush
      @mrjohnbrush 4 роки тому +4

      Damn! I just wrote a comment saying the same thing 🤣👍

    • @Sacre97
      @Sacre97 4 роки тому +27

      Using the proper quotation marks for each language huh? Neat 👌🏼

    • @Hgulix62
      @Hgulix62 4 роки тому +1

      @@mrjohnbrush - Me too fck

  • @MidnightBloomDev
    @MidnightBloomDev 4 роки тому +1228

    That's a darker red t-shirt. I hope you aren't planning on shifting to other color

    • @fannyslam
      @fannyslam 4 роки тому +104

      It's probably to do with him using a screen screen and having to edit the video to look better compared to the background

    • @fghsgh
      @fghsgh 4 роки тому +238

      @@fannyslam Ah yes. The famous screen screen.

    • @danielkuehling2220
      @danielkuehling2220 4 роки тому +59

      That's the version of Tom Scott that's remastered for 2020.

    • @kelvin31272
      @kelvin31272 4 роки тому +35

      I love my screen screen, always there when I need it

    • @Nugcon
      @Nugcon 4 роки тому +10

      He's becoming Edgy

  • @Nyerguds
    @Nyerguds Рік тому +7

    Yes, I've had a really tough time copying old prerelease screenshots of the game "Command & Conquer" off an old CD because the creators of the disc had shortened them to "COM" plus a number, heh.

  • @33gles
    @33gles Рік тому +1

    Tom Scott, master of backwards compatibility. Play his videos in random order, always familiar, always comforting.

  • @nonantehivernote8709
    @nonantehivernote8709 3 роки тому +3266

    Fun fact: "Con" is the french word for "dumbass"
    I always thought it was for censoring those names that we couldn't name a file "con".

    • @skyrotechnics3245
      @skyrotechnics3245 3 роки тому +150

      User who don't know french needing to name the photo of a convention
      Windows: *Censored*

    • @prebenjaeger
      @prebenjaeger 3 роки тому +10

      More like a "Sad fact". How did you reach that idiotic conclusion?

    • @BradyPostma
      @BradyPostma 3 роки тому +80

      The word "con" can be used as an insult in English, too. It means one who lies or scams you.
      As in, "Some call President Trump a con because his statements so rarely match what fact-checkers say."

    • @MichaelR1275
      @MichaelR1275 3 роки тому +6

      @@prebenjaeger .

    • @SireForseti
      @SireForseti 3 роки тому +46

      @@prebenjaeger I can't believe someone made a mistake ! Clearly we should just execute them... I'm shaking, quaking even... such actions against humanity shouldn't got unpunished !

  • @TravisFabel
    @TravisFabel 4 роки тому +690

    "if you're using a windows computer, try this" ok. dammit. hes right.

    • @plogoo1
      @plogoo1 4 роки тому +11

      Hes wrong. You actually CAN name a directory "CON". From command line type "mkdir \\?\C:\CON" . This will create at folder 📂 at the root of the C:\ drive called CON.

    • @DavidWonn
      @DavidWonn 4 роки тому +2

      @Chris Stoble
      I posted something similar, except for files rather than directories.

    • @mozzjones6943
      @mozzjones6943 4 роки тому +26

      ​@@plogoo1 That method creates an unusable root folder in the system. Doesn't count dude!

    • @plogoo1
      @plogoo1 4 роки тому +3

      @@mozzjones6943 totally count. I didn't say it was smart thing to do. Only that he's incorrect that it can't be done!

  • @nevell6069
    @nevell6069 Рік тому

    You have just made me go back to a past that I have never actually experienced, but which I have always found fascinating.
    And you have also made me reflect on something very important that I took for granted or unnecessary. Thanks Tom, glad to have discovered you!
    Italian: Mi hai appena fatto tornare in un passato che non ho mai vissuto in realtà, ma che ho sempre trovato affascinante.
    E mi hai anche fatto riflettere su qualcosa di molto importante che davo per scontato o inutile. Grazie Tom, felice di averti scoperto!

  • @mikezimean2
    @mikezimean2 2 роки тому

    I don’t see any signs of you using a teleprompter of any kind, that’s an incredible level of presentation skills, hats off to you sir!

  • @sysghost
    @sysghost 3 роки тому +4800

    The block is obviously there to stop con artists from saving their stuff on computers. ;-)

    • @josephgaviota
      @josephgaviota 3 роки тому +72

      Now we know why Hunter used a Mac.

    • @emilvinod
      @emilvinod 2 роки тому +6

      🤯

    • @wreckage8
      @wreckage8 2 роки тому +3

    • @baronvonbeandip
      @baronvonbeandip 2 роки тому +44

      "Bill Gates unleashes new update for Windows. Con artists hate him."

    • @pipsounds
      @pipsounds 2 роки тому +2

      lmao this cracked me up, ty

  • @arvilsdead
    @arvilsdead 3 роки тому +2952

    “Headphone jacks get removed”
    I’m still upset about this, even years after it’s become “normal”

    • @renagonpoi5747
      @renagonpoi5747 3 роки тому +454

      The headphone jack is still a make or break for me... I vehemently avoid any phone/laptop that doesn't have it.

    • @Hossein7r
      @Hossein7r 3 роки тому +33

      Same here

    • @renagonpoi5747
      @renagonpoi5747 3 роки тому +47

      @@sonyxperiasmk the latest Samsung ones... Some of the Chinese brands as well... A lot of android manufacturers have adopted the no headphone design philosophy.

    • @DDbenkoDD
      @DDbenkoDD 3 роки тому +24

      Oh, boo boo! Let me play a sad song for you on the world's smallest violin.

    • @Hossein7r
      @Hossein7r 3 роки тому +204

      @@DDbenkoDD did u just insult your ownself?

  • @richieh2006
    @richieh2006 Рік тому +1

    I love your story telling, dude!

  • @4thalt
    @4thalt 10 місяців тому +6

    As someone with the initials LPT, i'm surprised this hasn't broken some school database or something yet.

    • @VestinVestin
      @VestinVestin 6 місяців тому +3

      Listen, printer, you're not fooling anyone.

    • @Kanbei11
      @Kanbei11 5 місяців тому +1

      At least you're not called Bobby Tables

  • @Zatacke
    @Zatacke 4 роки тому +1592

    Ok.. I used the node.js fs-api and created a file "con.txt"
    now Windows does not let me delete it anymore...

    • @Zatacke
      @Zatacke 4 роки тому +265

      Create the file:
      fs.writeFileSync('con.txt', 'hello con!', { encoding: 'utf8' });
      ------
      But you can delete it like this:
      fs.unlinkSync('con.txt');

    • @f1refly1337
      @f1refly1337 4 роки тому +294

      Your fault for using nodejs, I pity you

    • @Hoofer
      @Hoofer 4 роки тому +94

      @@f1refly1337 people enjoy different things

    • @lolagepwned
      @lolagepwned 4 роки тому +148

      @@f1refly1337 F's in the chat for the JavaScript boys

    • @jd_27
      @jd_27 4 роки тому +86

      Don’t toy with the gods

  • @centerflag982
    @centerflag982 2 роки тому +6024

    The idea that fixing a date bug from nearly four decades ago could wreck a major company's operations (even temporarily) definitely falls into the existentially terrifying side of the tech industry

    • @dstblj5222
      @dstblj5222 2 роки тому +268

      its why internet explorer still exists someone a lot of companies actually have stuffed based on it

    • @adrienneclarke3953
      @adrienneclarke3953 2 роки тому +288

      You didn't live through 2000 and the effort put into making sure the world didn't fall over when we went from 1999 99 to 2000 00.

    • @graphite7898
      @graphite7898 2 роки тому +97

      @@adrienneclarke3953 All the supposed chaos when 2000 hit was greatly exaggerated

    • @keltzar1
      @keltzar1 2 роки тому +294

      @@graphite7898 I think the point they're making is that things didn't go crazy because people put in a lot of work. It wasn't going to be like, computers taking over the world, but a lot of software used for fundamental things like bank transactions was going to break if they didn't update the software to interpret dates better.

    • @adrienneclarke3953
      @adrienneclarke3953 2 роки тому +157

      @@graphite7898 I worked in banking and we had so many old system, we started planning 2 years out. We couldn't afford to have transactions fall over.

  • @sleepysoff2289
    @sleepysoff2289 2 роки тому +2

    I love how I’ve never asked this question my entire life but still watched it.

  • @royshalom7675
    @royshalom7675 2 роки тому +6

    3:36 didn't have the Con-cept

  • @josephikrakowskiwithflextape
    @josephikrakowskiwithflextape 3 роки тому +3051

    I can't name my folder PRN?
    Well, gonna have to go with "Homework" then...

    • @nachiket7565
      @nachiket7565 3 роки тому +142

      Really underrated comment.

    • @aurakille2148
      @aurakille2148 3 роки тому +97

      @@TheValkyrie9001 Cap

    • @erikhendrych190
      @erikhendrych190 3 роки тому +122

      @@TheValkyrie9001 Don't act like you have never watched PRN in your life.

    • @Harlow.
      @Harlow. 3 роки тому +12

      @@erikhendrych190 what even is prn

    • @MaeaCh
      @MaeaCh 3 роки тому +194

      @@Harlow. a religion

  • @fitnesswithsteve
    @fitnesswithsteve 4 роки тому +825

    Microsoft: “We support old systems.”
    Adobe: “What does that mean?”

    • @vista9434
      @vista9434 4 роки тому +102

      Apple: "Who needs backwards compatibility?" *Rips out 32 Bit program support in macOS Catalina*

    • @fishtailsauce
      @fishtailsauce 4 роки тому +21

      Hoi Kay Li I’m still so upset they did that. the only game I can play in my steam library is Garrys Mod and even that is wonky because I have to change the resolutions smh

    • @jacquesca
      @jacquesca 4 роки тому +20

      Windows: “All our operating systems are built on top of the graveyards of the old versions so there’s so many bugs and exploits”

    • @LoudMouth_
      @LoudMouth_ 4 роки тому +34

      @@jacquesca Microsoft can fix bugs when they appear. I don't see Apple re-adding 32bit support.

    • @StrangerHappened
      @StrangerHappened 4 роки тому +11

      @@vista9434 *Funny enough, it is opposite with Apple and older mobile hardware.* They support iPhones, iPads and iPod touches from four-five (!) years ago, while everybody else typically for a year or two at best.

  • @paulminshall8793
    @paulminshall8793 2 роки тому +1

    This feature caused me no end of headaches. I was writing files for part entities using a folder structure based on attributes, which was failing for the Condenser system (abbreviation: CON).

  • @countduckula9977
    @countduckula9977 2 роки тому

    Thanks Tom; that was fascinating & enlightening.

  • @GreenPlasma
    @GreenPlasma 4 роки тому +686

    I find the Tom Scott 2020 Remaster edition to have duller reds.

    • @greenhowie
      @greenhowie 4 роки тому +8

      I found the handling to be a little slippery

    • @Ergogre
      @Ergogre 4 роки тому +5

      So you're saying the new game is un-fair?

    • @SirLightfire
      @SirLightfire 4 роки тому +20

      "You might even realize that my trademark red shirt is, in fact, light pink"
      ....
      "One take!"

    • @saleplains
      @saleplains 4 роки тому +4

      its to give it a grittier aesthetic

    • @lowercase.
      @lowercase. 4 роки тому +3

      i see the appeal of the remaster but that doesnt change that i cant play it for more than about 10 minutes :(

  • @VisioPhobia
    @VisioPhobia 4 роки тому +625

    4:51 is the kind of slick editing you don't expect people to notice when you're actually creating it.

    • @saleplains
      @saleplains 4 роки тому +33

      its so smooth

    • @klaus2045
      @klaus2045 4 роки тому +10

      You sir have a speacial eyes, i cant believe u noticed that, congrats!

    • @vaclavholinka6301
      @vaclavholinka6301 4 роки тому +1

      What did you see ? I didn't notice anything, now I'm curious...

    • @DoktorBeta
      @DoktorBeta 4 роки тому +20

      ​@@vaclavholinka6301 An edited-on disc appears in his hand and slides into the Playstation.

    • @notquitenil
      @notquitenil 4 роки тому +5

      I *swore* that was intentional. The fact that it came together that smoothly is just marvelous.

  • @torridweiss
    @torridweiss 2 роки тому

    the way everything in this video tied back together at the end absolutely broke my brain

  • @onceuponatimeonearth
    @onceuponatimeonearth 9 місяців тому

    4:51 this little animation edit using Tom's gesture is brilliant

  • @GeweerBeer
    @GeweerBeer 3 роки тому +3203

    Backwards compatibilty: Exists
    Apple: We’re just going to ignore that.

    • @TheLingo56
      @TheLingo56 3 роки тому +81

      It is worth noting that a lack of backwards compatibility is why their products tend to run smoother and more organized than the alternatives. It's a trade-off to support and rely on very old software.

    • @TheSdzisuaf
      @TheSdzisuaf 3 роки тому +3

      @Windows Xienna OMG? What?! Now that will make me reconsider bout upgrading my G4

    • @justinhamilton8647
      @justinhamilton8647 3 роки тому +28

      Tell that to the old ass iPods still supported even now lmao

    • @LongTailCat3
      @LongTailCat3 3 роки тому

      i miss the cinamon taost crunch app

    • @YISTECH
      @YISTECH 3 роки тому +1

      what?

  • @Techademics
    @Techademics 4 роки тому +2398

    Everyone right now: *Trying to name a file CON*
    Everyone: *Gets Surprised*

    • @filiphedman4392
      @filiphedman4392 4 роки тому +24

      Exactly what happened to me

    • @Trippik
      @Trippik 4 роки тому +11

      me: tries on chrome os

    • @v1perys
      @v1perys 4 роки тому +6

      @@Trippik try mkdir \\.\C:\con\
      it'll work

    • @kckdude913
      @kckdude913 4 роки тому +8

      @@v1perys that's a folder, though, not a file.

    • @meetaverma8372
      @meetaverma8372 4 роки тому +4

      I don't know why, but I did

  • @BrianHazardVideos
    @BrianHazardVideos 2 роки тому

    Just found your channel, February of 2022. Don't know how I missed it all these years. UA-cam is too big! 😊

  • @aaaah540
    @aaaah540 2 роки тому +2

    It's super cool that backwards compatibility is this important and that Windows has taken notice of it!

  • @calebshonk5838
    @calebshonk5838 4 роки тому +2052

    "Someone, somewhere, MIGHT need to open a 30+yr old windows file."
    Like the US Government/Military. We still run essential programs on MS-DOS and Windows 95. 😂

    • @glennmulvey7200
      @glennmulvey7200 4 роки тому +22

      Caleb Shonk wrong they are actually using XP

    • @pumkinwhy
      @pumkinwhy 4 роки тому +164

      @Noah hard to update critical systems, if it ain't broke - don't fix it. there are other methods for security, but someday they will have to update, but it requires a seamless transition which is hard/impossible in some infrastructures

    • @stonedsavage7814
      @stonedsavage7814 4 роки тому +70

      @Noah yes and no. It's secure because it's not connected to the internet but it's mainly because so much military tech was made to run on that operating system so everything will work with it.

    • @cranemechanic2479
      @cranemechanic2479 4 роки тому +15

      @Noah no because they would rather spend the money on a tank or something powerful like that because to update everything would cost probably +10 million

    • @6yjjk
      @6yjjk 4 роки тому +46

      "You have the conn."
      *Windows for Warships has stopped working and needs to be restarted.*

  • @Yotanido
    @Yotanido 3 роки тому +2486

    You also can't name it "aux", which we found out the hard way, when I named a folder "aux", submitted it to our git repository and made all the windows people unable to update their local copies.
    Oops

    • @FunBoysGaming
      @FunBoysGaming 3 роки тому +90

      Not your fault.

    • @mr.mischiefiknowyourpasswo8224
      @mr.mischiefiknowyourpasswo8224 3 роки тому +40

      :'D haha good job.

    • @anguilliasKR
      @anguilliasKR 3 роки тому +46

      Haha this is a great prank

    • @ChristopherHailey
      @ChristopherHailey 3 роки тому +76

      Oh, that's so great...it sucks when you are using a full blown OS but you have to do stupid things so your stuff compatible with the bug pile that is Windows.

    • @mr.mischiefiknowyourpasswo8224
      @mr.mischiefiknowyourpasswo8224 3 роки тому +158

      @@ChristopherHailey :'D haha I prefer Linux aswell, but you didn't have to suck off Linus Torvall like that. If you like the taste, I don't descriminate.

  • @nexhoney8121
    @nexhoney8121 2 роки тому +1

    I wish I had a teacher as interesting as you in high school, I learned all this with more interest than anything I did in high school

  • @snowberry3118
    @snowberry3118 2 роки тому +4

    One of the reasons I love Gnu/Linux. Userland never breaks. If your app uses the forward facing APIs, it will probably* never break.
    * not for a long time, if not never

  • @Sebiu
    @Sebiu 4 роки тому +2515

    next up: why you can’t add FaZe in front of your babies name

    • @crossdagostino5778
      @crossdagostino5778 4 роки тому +40

      Or add the word Clan to it

    • @onelooongboi5838
      @onelooongboi5838 4 роки тому +46

      That reminds me how I still see kids putting faze in their clan tags or in front of their names in games.

    • @prussiancat5357
      @prussiancat5357 4 роки тому +35

      That reminds me how I still see kids putting faze in their clan tags or in front of their names in games.

    • @Netrole
      @Netrole 4 роки тому +45

      That reminds me how I still see kids putting faze in their clan tags or in front of their names in games.

    • @Juppie902
      @Juppie902 4 роки тому +13

      You can add xXx_ though and 69x420

  • @rimka11
    @rimka11 4 роки тому +1819

    I accidentally found out that you can't name a folder "prn". Don't ask how.

    • @josephmarx4695
      @josephmarx4695 4 роки тому +43

      Why?

    • @greg7402
      @greg7402 4 роки тому +494

      @@josephmarx4695 why do you think big guy

    • @Guztav1337
      @Guztav1337 4 роки тому +47

      I think that is the most common one

    • @board7374
      @board7374 4 роки тому +40

      *no you didnt*

    • @satyakisil9711
      @satyakisil9711 4 роки тому +114

      prn is a spreadsheet file of the pre-internet days.

  • @hernanpatricioorellanaalar3473
    @hernanpatricioorellanaalar3473 2 роки тому

    Great explanation! Thank you very much Tom! 😀👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

  • @MiguelTiempos
    @MiguelTiempos 2 роки тому

    Nicely played Tom, very nice!!!!

  • @yondie491
    @yondie491 4 роки тому +673

    I'm almost impressed that Tom didn't use the word "legacy" even once in this video.
    Also, as always, great work.

    • @gnuthad
      @gnuthad 4 роки тому +5

      That's because Tom's not old enough. :-)

    • @plogoo1
      @plogoo1 4 роки тому +12

      Hes wrong. You actually CAN name a directory "CON". From command line type "mkdir \\?\C:\CON" . This will create at folder 📂 at the root of the C:\ drive called CON.

    • @JulianSammy
      @JulianSammy 4 роки тому +5

      Chris Stoble That sounds like a "bug" in the ported version or mkdir. Nice find. What happens if you try to use the folder? Rename/move/copy might break?

  • @carwyn3691
    @carwyn3691 4 роки тому +382

    "You can't name a file con"
    Spanish speakers: "Con qué?"

  • @safetymikeengland
    @safetymikeengland 2 роки тому

    Good job. I really enjoyed this presentation.

  • @junuhunuproductions
    @junuhunuproductions 2 роки тому +1

    Such a fascinating video, thank you!!

  • @connorclark1490
    @connorclark1490 4 роки тому +335

    You're telling me Cornelius and Conrad made it in the obscure name list before me? Outrage I tell you, Outrage!

    • @plebisMaximus
      @plebisMaximus 4 роки тому +23

      Don't worry, Con. We still appreciate you, brother!

    • @ktdoty9921
      @ktdoty9921 4 роки тому +1

      I personally have known more than 6 or 7 connors in my life

    • @will3346
      @will3346 4 роки тому +2

      Don’t forget Bort.

    • @NoNameAtAll2
      @NoNameAtAll2 4 роки тому +2

      beware of walking robots

    • @totallynotai7131
      @totallynotai7131 4 роки тому +3

      How is Cornelius an obscure name, has everyone forgot Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus

  • @GuestDGaming
    @GuestDGaming 4 роки тому +306

    I actually ran into this-"CON" is the abbreviation for a school club I was a part of

  • @topsyturvy1097
    @topsyturvy1097 Рік тому +3

    5:05 this is how the Wii U works! It has a wii emulator in it. The Wii (I believe?) also has a gamecube emulator, and can run N64 games just fine.
    This, sadly, did not extend to the switch.

    • @fg7nrt
      @fg7nrt 11 місяців тому

      Yay finally another Wii u user!

  • @malkistdev
    @malkistdev 2 роки тому

    Right before this, there was an ad that said, "I see you are going to watch a Tom Scott video." I am now questioning if my family sold my data, or if people have security cameras around my house, etc.

  • @maverickREAL
    @maverickREAL 3 роки тому +2890

    Imagine trying to save a PNG of a convention called "con."

  • @rodrigodelprat
    @rodrigodelprat 4 роки тому +827

    I didn't realise that the term "directory" was considered old-fashioned. I mean I know they're also called folders, but I use the two terms interchangeably. I guess that makes me... old.

    • @pinkshortsmanwithban
      @pinkshortsmanwithban 4 роки тому +89

      I don't think it makes you old, but certainly it was the earlier name for it. I've never heard someone refer to a directory as a "folder" when talking about Linux at least. Seems to be more of a mainstream user thing to call it a "folder" (ie. Windows folders). I'm 23 and switch between directory and folder depending on the context

    • @Huntracony
      @Huntracony 4 роки тому +8

      Then 21 is old as well.

    • @coscorrodrift
      @coscorrodrift 4 роки тому +36

      i mean if you code just a little bit directory is a regular word. i know barely nothing about programming aside from some python and "pip install _" and directory is still a word used everywhere

    • @Luiji99
      @Luiji99 4 роки тому +30

      It's more to do with what sort of software you interact with. UNIX, BSD, and Linux (GNU or Busybox) users are a lot more likely to call them directories if they use the command-line because all the commands for handling them refer to them that way. However, someone who's focused on graphical user interfaces will likely still call them file folders since that's how they refer to them. Directory isn't old-fashioned, it's just that someone's choice of term shows what field they're in.
      Now, for a truly old-fashioned term, there's a catalog.

    • @XDarkGreyX
      @XDarkGreyX 4 роки тому +1

      For me it depends on the GUI, so visual elements make me use either folder or directory, depending on what I see or the image in my head. Tricky to explain and weird, but that's more or less how it works for me. (I'm 22)

  • @doragonsureia7288
    @doragonsureia7288 2 роки тому

    5:28 i like that you display the calendar of February 1900 correctly. Nice detail!

  • @Flightcoach
    @Flightcoach 2 роки тому

    This is great! Your takes are so long btw, you're a great speaker. Though I presume you use autocue?

  • @Benzy670
    @Benzy670 4 роки тому +224

    Tom, if you could explain everything about computers to my mom, that would be great.

    • @oli5b7
      @oli5b7 4 роки тому +1

      Justin did you just quote that line of office space on purpose?

  • @timmyp7
    @timmyp7 4 роки тому +544

    "World's Best Cornelius."
    The humor in your attention to detail is amazing.

  • @MrZoolook
    @MrZoolook Рік тому +1

    Many times I had to use old versions of MS-DOS, pre editor, pre edlin even, but they all had copy con.

  • @victisomega4248
    @victisomega4248 2 роки тому +1

    Wow, I’ve never run into that before… It’s always funny to find little isms and quirks in an OS that are remnants of a long forgotten forefather.

  • @ebenolivier2762
    @ebenolivier2762 4 роки тому +253

    My favorite story is that Microsoft specifically reintroduced a DOS bug in Windows 95 after having fixed it, just so that SimCity that relied on the bug would continue to work.

    • @realcartoongirl
      @realcartoongirl 4 роки тому +28

      what bug

    • @Belioyt
      @Belioyt 4 роки тому +9

      Eben, kindly link to the story or cite your sources please

    • @Archiesaccount
      @Archiesaccount 4 роки тому +6

      not trying to be rude but that was a simple google search

    • @Archiesaccount
      @Archiesaccount 4 роки тому +3

      I googled, "simcity windows bug"

    • @samuelthecamel
      @samuelthecamel 4 роки тому +34

      @@Belioyt This isn't a research paper. It would be kinda weird to cite sources on a UA-cam comment, and if you want to find a story you can search it for yourself.

  • @Rurexxx
    @Rurexxx 4 роки тому +3214

    Meanwhile at Apple: "Let's make a system update, which makes you unable to run 32bit applications anymore".

    • @DaL33T5
      @DaL33T5 4 роки тому +294

      I had to Google that to be sure you weren't joking.

    • @natnew32
      @natnew32 4 роки тому +162

      @@DaL33T5 Wait that's real?

    • @WhompingWalrus
      @WhompingWalrus 4 роки тому +347

      @@natnew32 Yup. Permanently broke looooooads of games.

    • @adamn.4111
      @adamn.4111 4 роки тому +149

      Eventually, all of the major operating systems will drop 32bit support. It's not really surprising considering hardly anyone actually owns a 32bit system anymore. That being said, it will break a lot of old programs and games. But it has to happen eventually. Supporting and testing 32bit costs time and money (for software developers) that's better spent elsewhere. A lot of old code can be trimmed from the codebase of operating systems once 32bit support is dropped.

    • @Rurexxx
      @Rurexxx 4 роки тому +178

      @@adamn.4111 Why not just do it for the new hardware then? It hit me especially hard because I do music on my macbook and this update made me unable to use a driver from 2014, which only comes in 32 bit version. And before you say "just downgrade lul", the system won't let me install latest VST apps without this update so yay.
      PS. And before you say "just use VM lul", I need access to physical ports so it will be exceptionally hard to do on VMs.

  • @97marqedman
    @97marqedman Рік тому

    Our alignment rack hardware still requires a parallel port connection to the computer that operates it…we’ve tried adapters, cables, cards, and so on…but it doesn’t like them. Not easy to find a modern PC that comes with a native parallel port, but we did get one finally from a local computer guy that worked some magic for us.

  • @Damian-Church-NZ
    @Damian-Church-NZ 2 роки тому

    Its true... Tom Scott's channel is becoming number 1 for all the right reasons.

  • @satyris410
    @satyris410 4 роки тому +561

    And those old obsolete systems are usually the ones propping up healthcare, banking, finance, industry, critical data and other vital resources. Like modern fighter jets using 20 year old hardware because that is what was specified.

    • @astrowanabe
      @astrowanabe 4 роки тому +47

      Or the USA's ICBM launch facilities using floppy disks - the old, large, ACTUALLY FLOPPY type - until very recently because the system "just worked".

    • @Menaceblue3
      @Menaceblue3 4 роки тому +8

      Isn't that the reason why the USA military is buying F-35's (relatively expensive) instead of F-22's (relatively cheap) because of old software development when the raptor was being designed?

    • @CalvinsWorldNews
      @CalvinsWorldNews 4 роки тому +35

      Sometimes has advantages mind. The UK banking system used IBM's OS2 long after people had even heard of it which in some ways made it *more* secure. This was around the time that US ATMs where on Windows XP. Which would you rather hack into?

    • @FreeManFreeThought
      @FreeManFreeThought 4 роки тому +12

      @@CalvinsWorldNews most atm's still are on xp XD

    • @novelnouvel
      @novelnouvel 4 роки тому +1

      @@FreeManFreeThought and dont forget. the BSOD on ATMs

  • @EladLerner
    @EladLerner 4 роки тому +488

    "iPhones shouldn't be able to read punch cards"
    I see this as a challenge to some UA-camr. Just the other day I saw someone making a Linux terminal on a typewriter.

    • @quagsoul
      @quagsoul 4 роки тому +4

      @Kevin Counihan my friend sent this exact video to me yesterday

    • @sstorholm
      @sstorholm 4 роки тому +3

      I’m still pissed at Marc for that one, I’ve been thinking about doing that for the better part of a decade, but I was never able to find a teletype local enough to me to have it shipped... :)

    • @douglas8568
      @douglas8568 4 роки тому +11

      iPhones can read punch cards easily, just make a program to read the image of the card and thats it

    • @lucasthompson6405
      @lucasthompson6405 4 роки тому +2

      Douglas Martins but that’s the easy way of doing it
      (Edit) also I saw that video too

    • @nathanbrown8680
      @nathanbrown8680 4 роки тому +4

      @@lucasthompson6405 But building a Bluetooth or USB punch card reader is going a bit far in the other direction.

  • @seye8eyes
    @seye8eyes Рік тому

    Nicely done about control concerns

  • @marcor6403
    @marcor6403 Рік тому +1

    I tried it right away. 25 years in IT. Didn't know this. Kudo's to you!.

  • @FindecanorNotGmail
    @FindecanorNotGmail 4 роки тому +629

    On the Amiga, we had "CON:" with a colon indicating that it was a _device_ and not a file in the current directory.
    On Unix/Linux, device files are in the "/dev" directory, also avoiding this problem.

    • @Orynae
      @Orynae 4 роки тому +83

      Amazing new technology: directories

    • @limejet
      @limejet 4 роки тому +122

      Note also that UNIX is 10 years older than MSDOS. This "no directories" business was not because they were doing something new and unique, they just didn't think they'd need them back then so they simply skipped them. When they realized that they did need directories, they had to add this hack of "reserved files" that follow you around the hierarchy.
      Microsoft has made a business out of supporting almost 40 years of kludges.

    • @BTheBlindRef
      @BTheBlindRef 4 роки тому +47

      @@limejet They have literally made a business out of supporting 40 year old kludges, as in that is why they continue to dominate the industry even though people have been predicting their eminent demise for decades. Supporting stodgy old enterprises that refuse to, or simply can't, modernize their systems makes bank. And they manage to do it while still creating enough newness to keep their consumer business going strong somehow too. Frankly, it's an amazing balancing act they have pulled off.

    • @jeremystanger1711
      @jeremystanger1711 4 роки тому +26

      This is misleading. Just because I place a file in /dev doesn't make it a device; a device file also has a type which identifies it as such. Even the reserved names (like /dev/null) aren't global like in windows - I can have a file called /home/dev/null if I want to.
      EDIT: I guess I'm skirting around the real point here, which is that linux device files are real files in that they have a location. You can't place a windows device file anywhere because they haven't got a location

    • @AthAthanasius
      @AthAthanasius 4 роки тому +9

      Yup, and also the concept of mounting the main drive at / and then extra ones within that directory structure. None of this drive letter nonsense. I believe modern Windows has something similar, but still defaults to drive letters.
      And then you can, if needs be, use symbolic links to change the version of a sub-tree as needed (Windows definitely also has both soft and hard links these days).

  • @ashtonlove5161
    @ashtonlove5161 4 роки тому +138

    Glad to know when I tried to save all my comic con photos under "CON" and my laptop yelled at me that is wasn't a virus.

  • @HighHrothgar0
    @HighHrothgar0 Рік тому

    I haven't used windows on my primary machine since school ever since I typically run Linux. Great refresh into windows I honestly don't miss it but occasionally help my mom with her windows machine.

  • @Add_Infinitum
    @Add_Infinitum 10 місяців тому +1

    A couple years ago I worked in IT for the city and a certain department required internet explorer to be installed on the new windows 10 computers because there was some software they had to use that would only work on IE

  • @designator7402
    @designator7402 4 роки тому +1557

    "Remember, Microsoft, backwards compatability within reason."
    "Backwards compatabality forever, for everything. Got it."

    • @LeonMatthews
      @LeonMatthews 4 роки тому +95

      Except for device drivers, unfortunately. Old printers, sound cards, video cards, etc.. are very frequently left behind!

    • @samuelthecamel
      @samuelthecamel 4 роки тому +65

      I love running old programs on Windows 10 and seeing how they somewhat work sometimes.

    • @TimothyChapman
      @TimothyChapman 4 роки тому +10

      Except for Windows XP software.*

    • @Jake12220
      @Jake12220 4 роки тому +24

      Or a lot of cad and engineering software. There was actually a lot of software that windows 10 refused to run and couldn't be modified because the creators/companies no longer worked on it.

    • @Redarmy1917
      @Redarmy1917 4 роки тому +46

      @@LeonMatthews That's not due to Microsoft but the companies that produced those products. They make their own drivers.

  • @cucu4192
    @cucu4192 2 роки тому +496

    Back in the 90s a friend in school wrote a program to replace "AUX" by "BUX" in memory, so we could hide games in an AUX folder which the admin was never able to enter or remove.

    • @joemogley
      @joemogley Рік тому +74

      That's actually a really cool way to exploit this

    • @yassen3mk
      @yassen3mk Рік тому

      ‫ ‫ ‫ ‫

    • @spamtong.spamton8416
      @spamtong.spamton8416 10 місяців тому +18

      Based.

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones 8 місяців тому +11

      Was he the hacker 4chan?

    • @Anti_Septikum
      @Anti_Septikum 7 місяців тому +2

      Could you give us the program?

  • @yewenyi
    @yewenyi Рік тому

    Runs off to making a punchcard reading program for the iPhone. Though my old punchcard programs ran on a HP minicomputer so I’d have to emulate that too.

  • @kylebrake1806
    @kylebrake1806 2 роки тому

    I love your videos!