Microsoft explains why Windows 11 still uses MS-DOS file names, and why it can’t change them

The 8.3 rule dates back to CP/M, a 1974 operating system MS-DOS tried hard to stay compatible with. On Windows 11 26H2, Program Files still answers to PROGRA~1, and Chen warns that one DLL loaded under two names can end up as two separate copies in memory, which is why Microsoft keeps the old names. The post Microsoft…