I'm “still afraid to use spaces in file names” years old (twitter.com)

Article summary

The article discusses a tweet where the author claims to be 'still afraid to use spaces in file names' years old, highlighting the lingering issues with using spaces in file names. This fear is rooted in the potential problems that can arise when working with files that have spaces in their names, particularly in certain software and operating systems. The issue is not limited to Windows, as some commenters point out that it can also be a problem in Linux. The use of spaces in file names can lead to errors and difficulties in certain situations, such as when working with command-line interfaces or certain programming languages.

Main themes

• spaces in file names
• operating system limitations
• command-line interfaces
• file naming conventions
• ergonomics and usability
• programming languages and software issues
• character encoding and whitespace issues

What commenters say

• The use of spaces in file names can cause problems with some software and operating systems, leading to errors and difficulties.
• Avoiding spaces in file names is a good practice to prevent potential issues, especially when working with command-line interfaces or certain programming languages.
• Some operating systems, like Linux, are not immune to issues with spaces in file names, despite having longer maximum path lengths than Windows.
• The use of descriptive names, including those with spaces, can be ergonomic for rarely used commands, but requires better autocompletion than most shells provide.
• Short, single-character options are often more memorable and easier to use than long, descriptive names, especially when working with command-line tools.
• Having both short and long options for commands can be a less problematic solution than allowing truncated variants of long-form flags.
• Spaces in file names are not the only issue, as other characters, such as newline characters, can also cause problems in certain situations.