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Technically, COM1, COM2 etc. are filenames as well. They are just special in that they are available everywhere. That's why you are not allowed to create any file named COM1 or such.

But it's a DOS relic. Actually, Windows has a "Win32 Device Namespace" under "\\.\", which is something like /dev/ in Unixoids. COM1 is actually \\.\COM1: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/fileio/namin...

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it's a CP/M relic of i'm not mistaken

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CP/M

Wow! There's an operating system I ain't heard tell of in a good long while. That's the very first OS I used in a professional context. Got me my first computer store job (in my late "teens") on a CP/M system.

I deal with software that processes files on a Windows system... loves to break when people on other OS's subnet AUX, PRN, COM, File:Name, and tons of other unacceptable names (like 'file ').

I'm glad our new releases work on Linux and we don't have to deal with that crap in 99.99% of cases now.

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