"File types"

[Stan Barr]

Hi,

Andrew B said:

> 
> Why not use a combination of an extension
> name and internal references within the files
> data, like the IFF format on the Amiga.
> 
> eg. Filename: mypic.IFF
> 
> and then within the first 16 bytes are
> contained the ASCII "ILBM" and something else
> (I forget... that's what not having a properly
> working Amiga does to me!). Not sure whyr
> they are spread apart and not the first few
> bytes.
> 

That's how the xfm file manager does it.  There's a (user maintainable)
file of magic data, for example xfm knows gifs start "GIF87a" or "GIF89a"
TIFFS start 0x4d4d or 0x4949. So it can ignore extensions if it needs to.

-- 
Cheers,
Stan Barr  stanb at dial.pipex.com

The future was never like this!