No File Extensions in Ubuntu Linux

One of the big differences between Linux and Windows is how files are named. Windows references the last part of the file name - filename.doc, filename.xls, filename.txt to determine what kind of file it is. If you change that ending, the operating system changes the way it views the file and what kind of program it loads to view it.

Linux doesn't do that. File names have nothing to do with what kind of file you are looking at in Linux. Unlike Windows, you can successfully name text files "To do list" without any file name extension at the end, and the operating system will treat the text file as a text file. In fact, you can put .txt at the end like in Windows, if you like. You can also try changing the extension to .jpg (an image format), and the operating system will still treat the file like a text file.

Linux doesn't care about those file extensions.

Some Linux applications care, however. The Gimp, the famous free Photoshop Look-alike that comes free with almost every Linux distribution anywhere, saves files using extensions. Change the extension in the program, and The Gimp saves the file as a different type of file.

I find it liberating to not have to change file extensions to get my operating system to use a file correctly. No more pop-up windows that say "You have changed the extension on your file. If you do this, Windows might not be able to display it properly. Are you sure?"

Yes, I'm sure. Change my extension to .linux on everything. :-)