9fans archive / 1995 / 12 / 67 /    prev next

From: td@pla... td@pla...
Subject: More ATAPI questions
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 14:14:08 -0500

"Luther Huffman, Jr." <mail.infinet.com!lutherh> wonders:
>   Along more trivial lines, is there a name for file names that 
>begin with '#'? The documentation only refers to them as "roots of a 
>file tree implemented by a kernel device driver". This is rather 
>cumbersome, rather like "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince".

Funny you should mention it.  They used to be called `kernel devices',
but then they had a fit of arty pretentiousness and changed their
name to ☺.  The press release explained that from now on, while
this was the preferred typography, the UTF-unaware could refer to
them as `the files formerly known as kernel devices.'