Re: Is anyone using EXT FS

Albert Cahalan (albert@ccs.neu.edu)
Fri, 15 Mar 1996 02:08:31 -0500 (EST)


>> Can we get rid of the ext fs?
>
> We can, but we shouldn't.
>
> The ext filesystem is useful as a reference, to show where ext2 came
> from, and illustrate what to avoid when creating a filesystem.

We should.

1: The minor issue of kernel archive size. I think the size
of the kernel archive is growing exponentialy. Graph
patchlevel against bytes yourself to see what I mean.

2: It confuses newbies. What's ext? Maybe I need it...

3: It has not been kept up to date with the latest VFS improvements.

4: Code is not really good for _explaining_ problems.
It would be better to document the design of ext2.

5: There are other simple filesystems to use as examples,
such as xia, minix, and sysv. Maybe minix is kept
up to date with VFS layer changes.

6: It's only good for 37 gotos anyway, so we still break 1000 :-)