From: Martin Steigerwald <Martin@Lichtvoll.de>
To: linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Replacing VFAT as filesystem on removeable media
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:15:28 +0200
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Hi!

Now as TomTom appears to have surrendered to Microsoft and Microsoft seems=
=20
to have accepted this deal probably in order to not find out that their=20
patents are void, I think replacing VFAT as standard cross platform=20
filesystem on removeable media would be an even better idea than before=20
[1].

Granted I believe the patents will be made void one day, but even then I=20
think it would make sense to replace VFAT for technical reasons.

Such a filesystem IMHO should have the following features:
=2D cross platform with implementations for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X at=20
least, also the varios BSD variantes come to my mind
=2D open source
=2D probably some support for flash media without or with bad wear leveling
=2D some kind of journaling or other metadata consistency guarentee=20

People use ext2 as an alternative, but that lacks journaling.

I could also think of UDF with write support, but I am not sure whether=20
Windows and Mac OS X has write support.

Or probably even a new filesystem as long as people appear to write one=20
filesystem after another these days.

Or some kind of FAT *without* compatibility hacks, but I think this would=20
still be an inferior solution as long as it doesn't provide for metadata=20
consistency.

Maybe this could become some kind of Linux Foundation or FSF joint effort?=
=20
Together with advertising and advocacy of free software users this could=20
probably really replace VFAT in the long term.

What do you think? What other features would make sense to for such a=20
filesystem.

I am willing to test such a filesystem and help with documentation as well=
=20
as advocacy. But for coding I better start with something easier ;-).

[1]=20
http://www.h-online.com/open/TomTom-Microsoft-settle-patent-dispute--/news/=
112964

Ciao,
=2D-=20
Martin 'Helios' Steigerwald - http://www.Lichtvoll.de
GPG: 03B0 0D6C 0040 0710 4AFA  B82F 991B EAAC A599 84C7

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