What is the maximum file name length in the Macintosh?
In system versions before MacOS 9, file names can have up to 31 characters. When we talk about long file names in the Macintosh, we usually mean names longer than this 31 characters limit. In MacOS 9 and later, including MacOS X, file names can have up to 255 Unicode characters (Unicode is an international standard using 2 bytes per character and allowing to represent most written human languages).
If this is true, why can't I use more than 31 characters for file names in MacOS 9?
It is not enough that the system supports long file names. You also need that your volumes and applications support them. The same is true for MacOS X, although the number of applications supporting long file names is much greater here.
So which volume formats support more than 31 characters in MacOS 9?
HFS+ (also known as MacOS extended) supports up to 255 characters. This is the preferred MacOS file system for high capacity hard disks since MacOS 8.1.
Joliet (Microsoft addition to the ISO 9660 standard, typically used in Windows CD-ROM) allows up to 64 characters, supported in MacOS 9 with the assistance of third party tools such as Joke Ridge.
Apparently PC network file names can be accessed in their full length using a recent version of DAVE.
But what good is this if my applications can't see the long file names?
A lot of applications supporting long file names have been developed. Some of them even work in MacOS 9, for example:
Kilometre Browser, a file browser capable to display and change long file names, and with many other interesting features continuously being added in every new version.
CrushFTP, a Java-based FTP server, that hopefully will stop PC users complaining when your FTP server truncates their file names.
MP3 Rage, a popular MP3 player and organizer, very useful if you love to include the complete biography of your favorite artist in a sound file name.
ZipIt, a zip format compression and decompression utility that will preserve your long file names when you compress and decompress files.
Only recently the long file name support has been added to some of the mentioned products, so you should get a recent version.
Is the long name preserved if I open the file with an application that doesn't support long file names?
Usually the long name is preserved if you use the "Save" command in the application File menu, but not if you use the "Save As..." command. This is, for example, the behaviour of SimpleText.
However, even the "Save" command may not preserve the long name in some applications. Applications that create backup copies in every save operation often behave this way.
Why can't I save my file with a long name in MacOS X?
You are probably using an application that does not support long file names. If your application does not support long file names, using MacOS X does not help. Applications ported from classic MacOS often inherit the 31 characters limit. This is quickly changing as Mac developers update their products to adopt the latest system technologies.
Does any Web browser support local links with long names in the Macintosh?
OmniWeb does, but it only works in MacOS X.