- at start of filenames

[ralferoo]

OK, this probably seems like a ridiculous question, but I've ignored it for years and now finally want to know!


So, I don't use disks very often myself, other than to try out other people's demos. I've noticed in the past occasionally things start with a leading - in the name, but this seems to be increasingly more common.


What is the reason for this? Does it make it easier to use with ParaDOS or FutureOS or something like that? It's just most of the cases I've seen it, it's been in a video of someone who does CAT and then RUN"-whatever so it just seems like an extra character to type for no good reason.


And an even more obvious question - for everyone who releases disk demos, why does nobody use |CPM to launch? Is that just because they want people to see CAT art? Can you have CAT art and |CPM on the same disk?

[ComSoft6128]

That practice irritates me - I rename the files using Parados.
But(!) I can see the reason for it - it moves the relevant files (loaders usually) to the start of the CAT leaving program and data files secondary.
It really does help when there are multiple files on a disc.



Here is an example:

[Prodatron]

What is the reason for this?

Like ComSoft wrote, it is for sorting the directory. "#" has beend used quite often for this as well.

And an even more obvious question - for everyone who releases disk demos, why does nobody use |CPM to launch?

|CPM only works from drive A. In the past I had all my discs on 5,25" on my external floppy drive, and I hated these programs and demos, which could only by started with |CPM, as I didn't have this drive switch mod in my CPC

[GUNHED]

...I've noticed in the past occasionally things start with a leading - in the name, but this seems to be increasingly more common.
What is the reason for this? Does it make it easier to use with ParaDOS or FutureOS or something like that?

Well, just my 3 Kreuzer (something like a penny but little bigger) here:

1. In general: To turn the first letter of a filename to '-' will move the filename to the beginning of the directory. So if you look at the first file, it's the one important to start.

2. FutureOS: To turn the first two letters of a filename to '- ' will move the filename to the beginning of the directory. So if you look at the first file, it's the one important to start.
In this case you can use the hotkey 'j' to jump to the first filename in a shown directory listing.

... |CPM only works from drive A. ...

Using X-DDOS you can use the command !CPM,2 to start 'CPM' or whatever from drive B.
(X-DDOS 2.10 can even use this command to start from hard disc. Which imho is a cool feature)

[BSC]

Can you have CAT art and |CPM on the same disk?

Yes you can, but it is incredibly hard and only few selected coders managed to pull that off ;-)

One example I happen to know of is BSC Megademo: https://demozoo.org/productions/168525/