Last issue I discussed various options for naming files, specifically ways to separate words in the filename. While you can use a space, it might not be the best choice. As an alternative, most people use an underline, though I often use the hyphen instead. A third alternative is to use periods.

For example, I recently had a series of graphics images I created. Here is how I named them:

red.left.jpg
red.right.jpg
green.left.jpg
green.right.jpg
blue.left.jpg
blue.right.jpg

Six files. Six different images. The filename is organized by image color, then image position. A period separates the image name from the position name (and finally from the file type, a jpeg image). So to grab all the images of one color, I can specify this wildcard:

red.*.jpg

Or to get all the “left” images, I can use this wildcard:

*.left.jpg

Now the * wildcards don’t work in every application. In fact, they only come in handy when manipulating files using the command line. (And I’ll talk more about the command line in the future.) But simply for the visual benefits, properly naming a file can help you keep your stuff organized. And being organized is a real plus to getting the most from your computer.

Windows News. Microsoft is saying that the next version of Windows is coming. Code named Windows 7, the new operating system is slated for release in the second half of 2009. Traditionally that would translate into January, 2010. No cute code name for Windows 7 yet; if you recall, Windows Vista was originally known as Windows Longhorn.

Wambooli Updates. I’ve completed the conversion of my old Stacker book into electronic format. It was a labor of love as the issue of disk compression is compelling only if you time travel back to the era of Disk Capacity Shortage in the early 1990s. Still, Chapter 1 offers some insightful information on the basic concepts of disk information storage, including clusters, sectors, tracks, cylinders, and so on.