windows can't creat folder named "con"

why windows (i'm using xp pro) cannot create folder named "con"
i've try many time and the folder will named as " new folder"
why is it happen?

The bug has been tried and tested in both Windows XP Home and Professional. If you try to make a folder named "CON" (case insensitive), Windows XP renames it back to what it was. So creating a new folder with the name "CON" just renames it to "New Folder".

The bug seems like a variable that got treated as a string or vice-versa. Trying to create the folder from a cmd prompt failed with an error "The directory name is invalid.".

This also works when you try to create a file called "CON", or "CON.". ".CON" shows up the way it should.

If you create a folder named "CON" on a linux filesystem say, and open up a samba share of it, the "CON" directory shows up as being "CSHOFG~F". A "CON." file or folder shows up as "CRW2KU~B"! Very Strange! But this is not about linux we should be talking about!!!

its only possible to name a directory as 'con' if you put something between any of the alphabets, like a space, or a punctuation, but that defeats the purpose totally right??!!??

Somebody at Microsoft willing to explain?

The following reserved device names cannot be used as the name of a file:

CON, PRN, AUX, CLOCK$, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9.

they have been reserved for system purposes, and they are handled by they system. so to avoid duplicates being created by any user and mucking it up for the OS, they have been reserved!!!

if you would like to check each and every one of the list i mentioned above, try renaming a folder with any of the names above...and guess what?? they all reset themselves as 'new folder'!!!

and it goes the same for folder names as well. so now you know why you cannot have 'con' as your folder name.

so that mean, all the character is variable define for the system
is it?

explain the term 'variable define'