File-Extension.com has a comprehensive database of file extensions and other information about fixing file extension related errors. From its free online file extension library, you can make the most of a rich collection of fire extensions. The website offers a lot of details about some well known file extensions including .OCX files and file extension LNK.

It’s not easy to point out and define a precise outline of the nature and function of file extensions and the thing that becomes the biggest hurdle in this connection is the competing influences (of Windows/DOS, MAC and UNIX that all have their separate file systems and metadata formats) and over 40 years developments in computer hardware and software.

During 1960s, Digital Equipment Corporation became the first company to implement file extensions. The company introduced a new way of presenting file system that broke within the base name of the file extensions. However, for its DOS and Windows operating system, Microsoft had to adopt the same convention after a long time.

At first, Microsoft originally limited the base name within eight characters and for the extension file, there were subsequent three characters that made it the combination of 8 letter name with 3 letters.

File extensions were limited to some extent before the arrival of Windows 95, but after Windows 95 and coming versions longer filenames were begun to be allowed.

UNIX and Mac didn’t choose file extensions as they both had created their own file systems with a separate convention for storing metadata. In Mac OSX, such codes were used as contained within the file while in UNIX systems information were stored as a single.

However, according to some, the popularity of Windows was the biggest factor in the development of file extensions and soon it became the standard method of presenting some file’s functions and this also forced Mac OXS to use file extensions.