OT?: FAT32(/16?) Question: Max. files in top level directory

[rhkramer@gmail.com]

I've been googling to try to answer this question, so far, no luck.

I recall that there is (or used to be?) a limit on the number of files in the 
top level directory of a FAT32 (or 16?) partition / drive.  If you needed to 
have more files in a directory, you had to create a subdirectory (and, as I 
recall, there was no limit on the number of files in a subdirectory).

Does anybody else (reading this) recall that, and recall more details, like 
the maximum number of files and which FAT systems (32 or 16) this applied to, 
and, further, is it still a limit on FAT32?

The limit might have existed in FAT12 as well (or some similar limit), but as 
I recall it was in FAT16 or later.