TLDR
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TMP and TEMP both exist due to parallel, uncoordinated adoption during the MS-DOS era, with no single authority ever declaring a winner.
Key Takeaways
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MS-DOS introduced environment variables as an addition beyond CP/M compatibility; no early programs used them since all were CP/M ports.
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MS-DOS 2.0 pipe simulation needed a temp file location; COMMAND.COM authors chose TEMP, cementing its early lead.
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Competing programs independently picked TEMP or TMP, with check order varying by author preference – no standard emerged.
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Windows
GetTempFileName looks for TMP before TEMP, reversing COMMAND.COM’s priority; Windows apps generally follow this.
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Both variables still coexist in Windows Environment Variables settings today, unresolved after 40+ years.
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