.htm vs. .html

[acoolguy]

Since I've started designing webpages a while ago, I've always wondered why there were two extensions for html files. I understand that there is no real difference between the two and that you can use them interchangeably, but I'm still curious as to why both exist. Anyone know the history behind this?

Thanks in advance!

[Edited by acoolguy on 12-28-2000 at 12:45 AM]

[Epgs]

i am not sure but i think the only time i really see .htm is on frontpage based websites and .html on non frontpage pages

[acoolguy]

Well I use both extensions and I don't use Frontpage, so I don't think that's quite it. Thanks anyway though!

[stu]

I guess the three letter extension .htm was for convenience for old DOS users, since dos works with filenames with 8 characters max, and 3 characters max for the extension.

It wasn't until Windows95 that DOS was able to support long filenames/extensions.

[Mrh0ax]

i always used .HTM till i used ssi for my pages, cuz it looked coo :) :)

[Koolguy]

Also the same reason I use .phtml instead of .php

[}:8) Supermoo]

Originally posted by stu
I guess the three letter extension .htm was for convenience for old DOS users, since dos works with filenames with 8 characters max, and 3 characters max for the extension.

It wasn't until Windows95 that DOS was able to support long filenames/extensions.

I think it was originaly .html on unix/linux etc servers. Then when M$DOS came along it had to have a ".htm" option. I like ".htm" better because it saves me from typing one character! ;)

[Chicken]

For whatever reason I've always had it in my head that .htm was a MAC thing. I don't know why. Probably not right, but one of those things I thought from the very start of my computing days, and I really never thought about it again. Until now. Thanks! Now I have to research it.

*grrrrrrrrrr*

[Mandrake]

Originally posted by Chicken
For whatever reason I've always had it in my head that .htm was a MAC thing. I don't know why. Probably not right, but one of those things I thought from the very start of my computing days, and I really never thought about it again. Until now. Thanks! Now I have to research it.

*grrrrrrrrrr*

I doubt that... Mac files don't need extensions, (although you can add one to them if you so desire)... :)

[KapTinKiRk]

going off a bit, but I don't think the extensions really matter at all, you could just as easily set your server to read index.anyname files and further personalize your site.
Yahoo! - index.y
Amazon - index.amz

or whatever else.

[LeX]

I think stu is right about that. As everybody knows, HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language, but they had the Internet way before the Win95 days, so since DO$ supports extensions up to only 3 characters, they simply excluded the 'L', which I assume isn't as important as the 'H' or 'T' or 'M'. :)

Also, index.htm and index.html AREN'T the same thing/file... so, some people I know used .htm as NS specific files and .html for IE or vice versa.

[Robert]

LOL. I'm bored so I thought I would post that I only use the .htm extension. I don't know why, but I rather have a shorter url with .htm then .html. Beats me. lol.

[stu]

Originally posted by Mandrake

Originally posted by Chicken
For whatever reason I've always had it in my head that .htm was a MAC thing. I don't know why. Probably not right, but one of those things I thought from the very start of my computing days, and I really never thought about it again. Until now. Thanks! Now I have to research it.

*grrrrrrrrrr*

I doubt that... Mac files don't need extensions, (although you can add one to them if you so desire)... :)


true.. and DOS and Unix files don't require file extensions either.

From what I can recall, Unix and Mac have always been able to support long file names/extensions. But I could be wrong about really old Macs.

[Epgs]

so can i put http://www.url.com/index. and that would be fine or could it be http://www.url.com/index.haha. Thats cool i am going to try

[Epgs]

would this relate to .ihtml ecelland uses? and who remembers our big discussion over those?

[Coolin]

ihtml is another type of HTML thingy supported by Windows servers... ihtml is sorta like SSI or PHP but supposed to be more powerful.

[harrylmh]

Did anyone know that if you put a index.htm and index.html file together under the same directory and view the directory(using url) w/o the file name, the file with the .html displays? I tried this one day cos I was bored and curious.

I was also told that the .htm exist for the convinience of DOS users.

[Nick]

Originally posted by harrylmh
Did anyone know that if you put a index.htm and index.html file together under the same directory and view the directory(using url) w/o the file name, the file with the .html displays? I tried this one day cos I was bored and curious.

This is because the .htaccess usually has this in it:


DirectoryIndex index.html index.htm index.php etc.. etc..

Since the .html one is first, it is displayed. If .htm was first it would show up..