# 20 in the mp3 filenames? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 1999, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969 "1999-10-18T04:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/1 "1999-10-18T04:51:00Z")
When I download mp3s, the names of the files look like this: Rage\_20against\_20the\_20Machine\_20-\_20Wake\_20Up.mp3 Roxette\_20-\_20Fading\_20like\_20a\_20flower.mp3 Roxette\_20-\_20Joyride.mp3 Roxette\_20-\_20Spending\_20my\_20time.mp3 Roxette\_20-\_20Stars.mp3 Whats so special about 20? Veera. ---
**Author:** ![Kakkerlak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@Kakkerlak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kakkerlak)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/2 "1999-10-18T05:04:00Z")
Ah, the innocence of nontechnical youth. Hexadecimal “20” = ASCII “Space”. When spaces are put into file names, some programs interpret them as their hexadecimal equivalents. Usually these show up as “%20” when I download Word documents from our corporate file server. * * * “You can’t tell me what sucks!” - Beavis, a true Objectivist ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/3 "1999-10-18T05:09:00Z")
Errr… Given my background in electrical engg., I should have probably figured that out myself… Anyway, thanks for condescending… ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/4 "1999-10-18T05:12:00Z")
That’s 20 hexadecimal, which is 32 decimal, which is the ASCII code for a space. Most operating systems, ones whose designers realize that pointing and clicking isn’t the only way to do things, don’t allow spaces in file names, because on a command line ‘words’ with spaces look like _multiple_ words. ## The HTML standard uses plain ASCII, but allows special characters to be written as a percent sign followed by the hex value of the character. Your browser (or operating system) seems to be displaying the underscore for the percent sign, instead of interpreting the sequence as a single character. If it doesn’t cause any problem, don’t worry about it. Maybe try renaming the file with spaces or underscores. Bob the Random Expert “If we don’t have the answer, we’ll make one up.” ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/5 "1999-10-18T05:14:00Z")
I _knew_ I shouldn’t have stopped to proofread that post! ## Beat out again. ☹ Bob the Random Expert “If we don’t have the answer, we’ll make one up.” ---
**Author:** ![Kakkerlak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@Kakkerlak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kakkerlak)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/6 "1999-10-18T05:23:00Z")
Sorry, I assumed electrical engineers don’t listen to Roxette. Now _that’s_ condecension. * * * “You can’t tell me what sucks!” - Beavis, a true Objectivist ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/7 "1999-10-18T05:28:00Z")
Well, i listened to the songs and deleted all of them except joyride…do I qualify for the cool club of Electrical Engineers? Or am I still short? ---
**Author:** ![bantmof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@bantmof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bantmof)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/8 "1999-10-18T11:02:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Most operating systems, ones whose designers realize that pointing and clicking isn’t the only way to do things, don’t allow spaces in file names, because on a command line ‘words’ with spaces look like multiple words. Generally you just have to quote filenames with spaces to use them on the command line. (I.e, in any of the Unix shells, AmigaOS, etc etc). ## It’s still annoying enough that I generally rename everything like that to use an underscore instead of a space. peas on earth ---
**Author:** ![Undead\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Undead\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undead_Dude)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 1999, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/9 "1999-10-19T05:09:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Generally you just have to quote filenames with spaces to use them on the command line. (I.e, in any of the Unix shells, AmigaOS, etc etc). – bantmof Righto. The %20 thing is a part of the standard practice of “url encoding”. URLs cannot contain spaces. Usually what is happening is that the server is encoding the file name, but your client is neglecting to unencode it when it offers you the default filename to save as. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 1999, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/10 "1999-10-19T05:11:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, i listened to the songs and deleted all of them except joyride…do I qualify for thecool club of Electrical Engineers? Or am I still short? One day you may be cool, but you’ll always be short. –Tim * * * We are the children of the Eighties. We are not the first “lost generation” nor today’s lost generation; in fact, we think we know just where we stand - or are discovering it as we speak. ---
**Author:** ![jazzmine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jazzmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jazzmine)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-in-the-mp3-filenames/3969/11 "1999-10-18T20:00:00Z")
As a aside, Veera, can you tell me where you found the Joyride mp3? thanks. trisha