| Extension | Possible Actions | |
|---|---|---|
| txt | Text files are plain ascii files which can be read by notepad, DOS Edit, Word, WordPerfect, all html editors, and hundreds of other programs. | |
| doc | Both Word and WordPerfect claim this document extension. | |
| exe | In this case, Open always means exectute. | |
| bat | ascii files which can be executed or edited. | |
| reg | This ascii file can either be edited or merged into the registry making permanent changes to your system configuration. (Actually, this does not have an open option.) | |
| html | Netscape and Microsoft actively fight for this. But notepad, FrontPage, and all the other html editors are equally logical. |
Traditionally, you Open a file to edit it. But, in an effort to make their operating systems as user hostile as possible, Microsoft has re-defined this acronym to be as confusing as possible. Using Open to execute a program is pushing it, but, because they are ascii files which can be edited, executing a bat file or merging the contents of a reg file into the registry is well over the line.
Therefore, because Open no longer has a clear meaning, I am suggesting that it should no longer be used by itself for anything. Use Open in appname to either view or edit a file's contents in the specified application. Or use View, Browse, or Edit if you want to be more explicit. If you plan to use the file in any other way, then be explicit.
Unfortunately, the only way to change what is displayed is to directly edit the registry. (Microsoft strongly states that users should never do this.)