Why You Can't Name A File CON In Windows

A video on YouTube. In Explainers, a Krater category.

Summary by Krater

Tom Scott explains why Windows and DOS prevent users from naming files and folders "con" and other reserved device file names, stemming from early MS-DOS architecture and the need for backwards compatibility.

From the video

Answers: Why can't you name a file CON in Windows?

reserved file names in Windows
MS-DOS device files
backwards compatibility in software
device drivers and file systems

What it concludes

You cannot name a file or folder CON, AUX, PRN, LST, COM0-COM9, LPT0-LPT9, or NUL in Windows because these are legacy device file names inherited from MS-DOS.
Early MS-DOS versions used device files to interface programs with hardware devices like printers and keyboards without requiring programs to understand specific device implementations.
Microsoft maintains backwards compatibility for these reserved device names and legacy software quirks in Windows 10 so users do not encounter broken workflows when upgrading.
Excel incorrectly considers 1900 a leap year to maintain backwards compatibility with Lotus 1-2-3, a bug preserved across decades.

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