the 8.3 naming convention is a file designation scheme used prior to the release of windows 95. it indicates that the first eight characters of a computer file should be designated as the file name descriptor and the last three characters indicate the file type. for example, a word file prior to windows 95 would have been labeled as xxxxxxxx.doc.another advantage gained in windows 95 was the addition of characters after the dot. files can now be saved as .jpeg, .tiff, .html where with the short naming convention three characters was the standard. for example, .jpg, .tif, .htm and so forth.
after the release of windows 95 255 characters became the standard for file name descriptors.
the 8.3 naming convention is also called a short file name (SFN) where the file naming convention post windows 95 is known as a long file name (LFN)