[vorbis] Why the commotion about file extensions?

[Olaf Marzocchi]

>why is there all the commotion about file extensions? I do strongly believe
>any software using those extensions for identification of file contents is
>broken. After all, it is very easy to name a DivX Video .doc. Yet that ending
>changes nothing about the contents of the file. Word will complain about the
>content or (more likely) display a load of gibberish. More dangerously
>changing .exe or .com to .txt is also possible, smuggling in malicious code
>via email etc.
>
>Instead an up-to-date magic file and truely looking at file headers is the 
>far
>better way. Don't you aggree? I don't know, why this is not the standard way
>to do things. I guess, because Microsoft thinks looking at three letter
>extensions is good enough for them, it should be good enough for the rest of
>the world as well.

<p>You are right, I think files shouldn't identified by extension, the Mac 
Classic's way (fourcc for type and fourcc for creator) is a much better method.
Anyway, I know that many linux apps identify files by content (headers), 
i.e. Konqueror, and with the new M$ FS (it will be a database) this 
problems will go away.

Olaf 

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