file name maximum length?

What’s the maximum numbers of characters I can use for files and
folders in OS 10.3? I seem to be able to make a lot of them but when I
try to copy them to a hard drive that was formatted with an older FWB
that was running system running 8.1 it just say something like an
error occurred name too long and will not copy the file. I reduce the
number of characters down and then I can get it to copy.
Is it the hard drive’s driver or is it an OS thing. Why did the old
systems beep when you reached the limit when creating file names but
OS 10 does not until you try to save the file? Word for X says you are
limited to 31 characters? I know it is convenient to have longer names
but I need to transfer stuff to older macs running pre OS 9. Is there
a way to get OS 10.3 to not let me go over the limit each time I make
a file or folder name? With Textedit it seems like I can add as many
characters as I want.
If I were to use Os 10.3 Disk Utility on this SCSI hard drive to
reformat it. Then I move from computer to computer would I be able to
use longer names at least showing in OS 10.3? And would the older Macs
running the older OS be able to see the files with what I guess would
be truncated names as happens on PC sometimes when the name is
shortened with a tilde at the end?

On 2008-04-26 19:29:57 -0400, DJW <ddwr.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> said:

> WhatÕs the maximum numbers of characters I can use for files and
> folders in OS 10.3? I seem to be able to make a lot of them but when I
> try to copy them to a hard drive that was formatted with an older FWB
> that was running system running 8.1 it just say something like an
> error occurred name too long and will not copy the file. I reduce the
> number of characters down and then I can get it to copy.
> Is it the hard driveÕs driver or is it an OS thing. Why did the old
> systems beep when you reached the limit when creating file names but
> OS 10 does not until you try to save the file? Word for X says you are
> limited to 31 characters? I know it is convenient to have longer names
> but I need to transfer stuff to older macs running pre OS 9. Is there
> a way to get OS 10.3 to not let me go over the limit each time I make
> a file or folder name? With Textedit it seems like I can add as many
> characters as I want.
> If I were to use Os 10.3 Disk Utility on this SCSI hard drive to
> reformat it. Then I move from computer to computer would I be able to
> use longer names at least showing in OS 10.3? And would the older Macs
> running the older OS be able to see the files with what I guess would
> be truncated names as happens on PC sometimes when the name is
> shortened with a tilde at the end?

If the old drive is formatted HFS, it has a 31 character limit for file
names. HFS+ allows 255. OSX doesn't complain for names longer than 31
until you try to save because, until then, you can still select the
drive to save to, so it doesn't know if you will choose a drive
formatted as HFS or HFS+.
If the older OS didn't support drives with HFS+ it could complain immediately.
If you try to use a HFS+ drive on a system that supports only HFS, you
will not be able to see the files. You will get a message something
like "Where are all the files?".