Why do .jpg and .jpeg both exist?
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In early MacOS (pre OSX), there was a 4 letter file type code and a 4 letter creator code. The file type told the app what type of file it was opening and the creator code would tell the OS what app to open when you double clicked on it. I think these codes also told the OS what icon to display. These codes were invisible to most users and part of the ”magic” of the gui. Since the file type codes were 4 letters, it used JPEG not JPG.
Ive only scanned through half the answers here, but so far, noone has answered the actual question.
Yes, jpeg is an acronym for the org BUT that doesn’t explain why computers, in this semi-rare case, answer to both the 3 letter file extension and the 4 letter file extension. Why do we have this special case?
In early MacOS (pre OSX), there was a 4 letter file type code and a 4 letter creator code. The file type told the app what type of file it was opening and the creator code would tell the OS what app to open when you double clicked on it. I think these codes also told the OS what icon to display. These codes were invisible to most users and part of the ”magic” of the gui. Since the file type codes were 4 letters, it used JPEG not JPG.
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The part after the period used to tell the computer what kind of file it was and how to process it. The standard was three letters. Jpg stands for joint picture experts group, the organization that created the jpeg standard. The acronym jpeg didn’t fit that requirement so it was shortened to jpg. Modern operating systems use meta data within the file to know how to handle the file.
Ive only scanned through half the answers here, but so far, noone has answered the actual question.
Yes, jpeg is an acronym for the org BUT that doesn’t explain why computers, in this semi-rare case, answer to both the 3 letter file extension and the 4 letter file extension. Why do we have this special case?
[removed]
The part after the period used to tell the computer what kind of file it was and how to process it. The standard was three letters. Jpg stands for joint picture experts group, the organization that created the jpeg standard. The acronym jpeg didn’t fit that requirement so it was shortened to jpg. Modern operating systems use meta data within the file to know how to handle the file.
File extensions are suggestions to your computer operating system what kind of data is in the file so it knows what application to open with it. They have no special meaning besides this. As pointed out in other answers, older operating systems put hard limits on file name total length and only understood 3 character file extensions, so .jpg is the older extension format for JPEG images. They mean the same thing and if you were to change the extension to .picture then open it in Paint (or whatever your OS has) it would accomplish the same thing, since the extension is just a suggestion about what application cares about this file.
Ive only scanned through half the answers here, but so far, noone has answered the actual question.
Yes, jpeg is an acronym for the org BUT that doesn’t explain why computers, in this semi-rare case, answer to both the 3 letter file extension and the 4 letter file extension. Why do we have this special case?
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