On: Why Does Windows Really Use Backslash as Path Separator?

[andybalholm]

But it probably used : to separate the volume name from the file name.

[Someone → andybalholm]

Checked the phone book (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Macintosh). As I remembered, all APIs used a volume reference number and a file name.

However, it also says (emphasis added):

”When accessing a closed file on a volume, you must identify the volume by the method given above, and identify the file by its name in the fileName parameter. FileName can contain either the file name alone or the file name prefixed by a volume name.

(note)

Although fileName can include both the volume name and the file name, applications shouldn’t encourage users to prefix a file name with a volume name.”

So ,that, sort-of, but not fully, confirms your statement.

I don’t remember ever using a path like that, and wonder what the OS did with those volume names: ignore them, and use the volume reference number to determine the volume to use, allow them to override the volume reference number, or check them against the name of the volume with the reference number?