funny characters in filenames

[guyton at rand-unix]

James Bray asks:

        But please tell me, anyone, if you can think of
        a good use for unprintables in filenames.

I have three examples that come to mind:

	1) USC-ISI used control characters to fake version numbers
	   in their implementation of Interlisp.

	2) T[w]enex often puts control characters in filenames to make
	   them hard to delete (the archive directory used to be kept
	   in the user's directory with a bizarre filename).

	3) Our IBM folks put a blank and a backspace in the name of our
	   Wylbur keyword file (to try and make it harder for hackers
	   to try and crack it).

One point is clear from the above, Unix isn't the only OS that allows
bizarre characters in filenames.

-- Jim