Edited sentence: ', and such files are only "hidden" from a handful of system utilities that can readily be instructed to reveal these files.Contrast that against the UNIX implementation, where the notion of "hidden" file system objects equates to a simple initial '.Further, in Windows XP, certain folderssuch as C:\Documents and Settings\Administratorare populated on the fly from a union of various similarly-named folders, rendering it nearly impossible to obtain a complete, consistent listing of just what resides precisely where.One might say that, in UNIX, a "hidden" file is a convenience tied directly to a naming convention; in Windows XP (at the least), one can only discover by trial and error just what whimsical semantics are to be observed in which "system" folders, which areinexplicablydifferent from other folders.Such concepts as uniformity, predictability, and the oft-cited "principle of least astonishment" would appear to be unimportant to some vendors.Unfortunately, the model governing (in)visibility of folder contents is incomplete and inconsistent