NFO
|
|
NFO is an abbreviation of "info", which is shorthand for information. It is used as a three-letter filename extension in 8.3 file systems. Files with the NFO filename extension most commonly appear as generic ASCII text files designed to be viewed with a text editor or specially designed NFO viewers. Less commonly, in Microsoft Windows, a file with an NFO filename extension is handled by a Microsoft software tool called System Information (by default).
| Contents |
Purpose of NFO
The purpose of an NFO file is relative to that of the FILE_ID.DIZ which can be found in many ZIP archives today and during the era of the BBS. NFO files usually contain release information about a software program and are commonly associated with software piracy groups responsible for warez who include them to declare credit of and "bragging rights" over said release. A typical modern day warez NFO file is elaborate and highly decorated, donning a large ASCII art logo at the top with various software release and warez group information below. The designers of these NFO files frequently incorporate non-ASCII compliant characters in the file, primarily those found in Codepage 437 -- this can result in some interesting results on screen if the viewer is using an editor which does not support the standard. While there are specific viewers intended for opening NFO files, simply using Windows Notepad and selecting the Terminal font is generally sufficient, the only difference being that text will be black on a white background in Windows Notepad rather than white on a black background as seen when viewing in MS-DOS, making some of the ASCII art appear to be "inverse" like that of a film negative.
Canonical origins
NFO files were first introduced by "Fabulous Furlough" of the PC software piracy organization The Humble Guys, or THG. Such organizations were also known as "warez groups" or "crack groups". The first use came in 1989 on the THG release of the PC game "Bubble Bobble". [1] (http://mobygames.com/game/sheet/p,2/gameId,787/) [2] (http://www.textfiles.com/piracy/HUMBLE/bubble.nfo) This file was used in lieu of the more common "README.TXT" or "README.1ST" file names. The perpetuation of this file extension legacy was carried on by "warez groups" which followed after THG and is still in use to this day, hence its strong presence on Usenet newsgroups which carry binaries and on other P2P file trading networks.
External Links
- NFO files by THG (http://www.textfiles.com/piracy/HUMBLE/) Evidence of the very first NFO files by The Humble Guys. (Including the very first!)
- DAMN NFO Viewer (http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/DAMN_NFO_Viewer_vRC-Download-2132.html) A viewer by ivanopulo created for the sole purpose of displaying NFO files.
- NFOrce Entertainment (http://www.nforce.nl/) An extensive archive of NFO files. (software, games, TV, movies)
- Swedupe (http://www.swedupe.com/) Another archive of NFO files. (games, TV, movies)
- iSONEWS (http://www.theisonews.com/) Another archive of NFO files. (games, TV, movies)
- MP3Shitter (http://www.mp3shitter.com/) Another archive of NFO files. (music)
- VCDQuality (http://www.vcdquality.com/) Another archive of NFO files. (movies)
- NGIndex (http://nfo.ngindex.com/) Another archive of NFO files. (software, games, TV, movies, music)
See Also
- NFO is an acronym for "Naval Flight Officer" in the United States Navy.
- NFO is also sometimes used as an initialism for "Not Front Office", often to conceal employment discrimination.de:NFO