Re: HFS+ format

Re: HFS+ format

[Dan Bethe]

> I think part of the problem is the license.  I believe everything
> incorporated in the Linux kernel, including modules, has to be under the
> GPL license, as it covers linking and (debatably) dynamic linking.  So a
> direct port wouldn't be possible, due to the incompatible licenses.  The
> code would have to be rewritten from scratch.

	That would be the case if software ported from BSD or from an Apple product,
was to be made part of the standard kernel distribution.  It is not necessary
for all kernel modules to be GPL.  For example, see the OSS commercial drivers.
 And VMware's GPL kernel modules that support their proprietary commercial
application.  :)
	So I'd say that it's cool to port it if that's very easy, then let people
include it on their own or as a LinuxPPC RPM, and then see about including it
straight into the kernel.
	IMHO!

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only in your mind." -- http://www.dreamtheater.net/songb4.htm#IV5

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Re: HFS+ format

[Dan Bethe]

> I'm not sure the Linux VFS layer is much like BSD filesystem code
> anyway. With the recent changes in the 2.3 kernel series, it probably got
> more unlike BSD still. But I've never studied BSD source much :-)

	I'm glad we're still having the discussion about HFS support :)
	Is there any tool or technique to help port BSD source to Linux?  Perhaps a
technical layer or a methodology?  Would the BSD people know more about it,
since they've ported a lot of Linux drivers to BSD?
	On a license tangent, is the current revised BSD license incompatible with
GPL?  This url says that it is compatible:
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/bsd.html.  Secondly, does Darwin use the new or
old BSD license?
	Thanks.


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only in your mind." -- http://www.dreamtheater.net/songb4.htm#IV5

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Re: HFS+ format

[Brad Boyer]

Actually, there is a project to develop an HFS+ filesystem module for Linux.
However, it isn't useful at the moment.  There is a small amount of code
available, but it is too much to send in an email, and I don't have a place
to host it.  If someone wants to volunteer to host this, I'll stick up a web
page or ftp site with the code and some info.  I currently do have it on a
publicly accessible site, but I don't want to flood it because it is on a
slow link to the net.  I might give the address to one or two more people
who are really interested, since there are already several of us in the
project.

Currently there is only a basic framework for the VFS interface and some of
the BTree parsing code, but it crashes frequently and can't do anything
useful.

	Brad Boyer
	flar@pants.nu


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Re: HFS+ format

[Olaf Hering]

On Sat, Jan 29, Brad Boyer wrote:

> Actually, there is a project to develop an HFS+ filesystem module for Linux.
> However, it isn't useful at the moment.  There is a small amount of code
> available, but it is too much to send in an email, and I don't have a place
> to host it.  If someone wants to volunteer to host this, I'll stick up a web
> page or ftp site with the code and some info.  I currently do have it on a
> publicly accessible site, but I don't want to flood it because it is on a
> slow link to the net.  I might give the address to one or two more people
> who are really interested, since there are already several of us in the
> project.

We can host it at ftp.suse.com or I can host it on my private domain.
I'm very interested in the HFS+ implementation.


Gruss Olaf

--
 $ man 1 current_release

BUGS
       Users never read manuals...

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Re: HFS+ format

[Brad Midgley]

i'll bet there is an implementation of hfs+ in the mach layer.

mach needs to understand the filesystem well enough to load the server
from it. i ported hfsutils (yes, the userland stuff) to the mach layer's
bootstrap code back when the only way to install mklinux was with a macos
util and a tarball.  i'll bet mach has an hfs+ implementation (albeit
read-only) in its bootstrap section in darwin.

i realize you're right that the read/write implementation would be in the
bsd layer as i think about it...

the best route may be to enhance hfsutils for hfs+ support. you don't have
to worry about the complexity of multiple readers/writers that way but you
get a useful, practical result. then jump into writing the kernel code
after it works satisfactorily.

brad

> --- Brad Midgley <brad@turbolinux.com> wrote:
> > dan,
> >
> > > 	Is there any tool or technique to help port BSD source to Linux?  Perhaps
> > a
> >
> > are you sure darwin's hfs+ filesystem lies entirely in the bsd layer? (i
> > haven't looked at darwin source)

Brad
brad@turbolinux.com | http://www.turbolinux.com/~brad/


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Re: HFS+ format

[Dan Bethe]

> the best route may be to enhance hfsutils for hfs+ support. you don't have
> to worry about the complexity of multiple readers/writers that way but you
> get a useful, practical result. then jump into writing the kernel code
> after it works satisfactorily.

	So you can start with the userspace app and then port that to the kernel?  And
is it already GPL?  Cool.  Who wants to start on that?  :^)

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"Don't expect your own messiah; this neverworld which you desire is
only in your mind." -- http://www.dreamtheater.net/songb4.htm#IV5

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