It is possible to create *nix file names out of characters with any 8 bit value. The 'dot' means nothing (except for the standard . and ..) .
So case isn't the issue.

If I recall correctly, back in the early '80s...

not only was *nix case in-sensitive, it allowed directory entries longer than 8.3, i.e. eight character name and three character extension (which would be the cp/m limit?)

That probably sounds like a silly distinction to modern mouse clickers, but early pc-dos was limited to that.
MS-DOS v1 didn't even have sub-directories. Mind, those using DOS 1 wouldn't have had a hard drive, so the floppies were the 'folders'.

This is my theory for what it is worth.
All the early computers could only print 64 characters i.e Teletype 33 the old printers etc.
Even open vms is still in upper case.
Then UNIX > linux came along and it was rebelling against the past. The new terminals could print upper case/lower case.
LA30 LA36 LA120.

It is interesting to note that unix is spelt UNIX. Its a bit like gnu.

Once one gets used to it, is all ok.


Another thing lower case is easier on the eyes, not sure why.

nigel

This discussion takes me back to QDOS, where you could even have file names like "a /" and "a  /" (spot the difference). Another Linuxism is the way in which extensions are part of the name. I have test.flv, test.mp3, test.mp4, and so on for when I'm reviewing distros. I was very puzzled at first when testing Haiku: whatever I clicked on, it ran test.wmv!