Portable file names

[Dar Scott]

CD-ROM file names--

In looking at constraints on file names on the most popular of OS's 
supported by Revolution and on the most popular of media, I find (I think)
  the most limiting format is CD-ROM.

The best I can tell from information (and bad information) on the Internet.
..

ISO-9660  Level 1             Simple 8.3
ISO-9660  Level 1 + Joliet    Above extended for Windows 95 long names
ISO-9660  Level 2             30 char names with strict limitations

The Level 2 limitations:  Only A-Z,0-9,_ before the dot.  Only A-Z,0-9 
after the dot.  (However, some web pages say the _ is OK after the dot.)  I 
think the dot is required.  (But a web page hinted it was optional.)  The 
dot is not counted in the 30 chars.  I think the number of chars after the 
dot is fixed at 3.  (But I get the impression from a web page that this is 
not the case.)  Under some conditions the finder will display the revision 
number of CD files on Mac OS.  (Some web pages hinted that names should be 
shortened by a couple characters to accommodate that.)  There is so much 
contradiction on the web, I'm (only) half tempted to shell out the $75 for 
the standard.  Maybe there is a book that is cheaper but accurately 
reflects the standard.

Is ISO-9660 Level 2 the right standard to be looking at?

I'm concerned about case.  The CD-ROM file names are all upper case.  
However, I noticed that several operating systems used drivers that 
automatically convert CD-ROM file names to lower case.  If I have files aBc.
txt and aBc.rev and store them on CDs, I assume they will be stored as ABC.
TXT and ABC.REV.  If I try to open the first as aBc.txt, ABC.TXT or abc.txt 
using Revolution "open file" or URL on Windows, Mac OS, OS X, or linux, 
which will work?  <<=== See!  I'm on topic!  Sorta.

(An alternative to Level 2 is Level 1 with compressed files if they have 
better file name representation.  I have come to like compressed 
folders--zip--on Windows XP.)

Dar Scott