Re: Things that Longhorn seems to be doing right

Scott Robert Ladd
2003-10-30T04:08:02Z

Alex Belits wrote:
> There is another possibility -- that the only implementation of the
> standardized indexable/searchable format that Microsoft wants to base this
> system on is a horrendous resource pig, infected with inflexible
> restrictions and requirements...

I suspect one motivation for Longhorn's file system is DRM, encoded into
the metadata.

I don't think Hans' original message was suggesting that we clone
Microsoft's new file system. Rather, my impression was that he was
interested in the kind of functionality envisioned by Microsoft, and in
pre-empting any conceptual patents Redmond might be planning.

It might be very interesting to peruse Microsoft's recent patent
applications...

> What most of XML-based formats certainly are. If further development
> will blindly take this road, we will lose huge amount of flexibility in
> exchange for a certain Microsoft-compatible (for a while) system of
> organizing data.

I am not fond of XML in many circumstances; it is inefficient both in
terms of storage and processing, and is overkill for many applications.
A files system should be mean and lean, even when it implements advanced
features like metadata. So I think we're in agreement that Linux should
find a better path to a similar solution.

And do it soon, before Microsoft patents the concept of a file system
itself!

--
Scott Robert Ladd
Coyote Gulch Productions (http://www.coyotegulch.com)
Software Invention for High-Performance Computing