14 character limitation in filenames

[James Howard]

In article <290 at sps.com>, arm at sps.com (Annette Myjak) writes:
> can anyone explain why there's the 14 character limitation in filenames
> (11 + 3 for extension) in interactive unix?

It is not 11+3, but 14 characters period.  (Which would map to 11+2 anyway,
including the period).
 
> is this common for all 386 based unices?

No, primarily s5 file systems.  BSD or SVR4 'ufs' file systems support up
to 255 character filenames.  It is not related to the actual UNIX revision
so much as the file system type itself.  For example, SVR4 UNIX still has
14 character filename limits for s5 file systems, which it must for 
compatibility reasons.
 
> is this limitation likely to be overcome anytime soon?

see above..
 
> annette myjak
> arm at sps.com

James Howard        Dell Computer Corp.        !'s:uunet!dell!mustang!jrh
(512) 343-3480      9505 Arboretum Blvd        @'s:jrh at mustang.dell.com
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