To: linux-kernel@vger.rutgers.edu From: torvalds@transmeta.com (Linus Torvalds) Subject: Re: NTFS-like streams? Date: 12 Aug 2000 13:49:34 -0700 In article <Pine.LNX.4.21.0008121047190.14835-100000@duckman.distro.conectiva>, Rik van Riel <riel@conectiva.com.br> wrote: >On Sat, 12 Aug 2000, Michael Rothwell wrote: >> Rik van Riel wrote: >> >> > So what we want are directories, and not file streams? >> > Oh wait, we already have those... >> >> Not really. Directories aren't the same thing, >> and don't serve the same purpose. They're _similar_, >> but not identical. > >So what is The Big Difference(tm) that make file streams >so much better than directories and so much different? I'll talk really slowly. HFS has resource forks. They are not directories. Linux cannot handle them well. I'm all for handling HFS resource forks. It's called "interoperability". It's also realizing that maybe, just maybe, UNIX didn't invent every clever idea out there. Maybe, just maybe, resource forks are actually a good idea. And maybe we shouldn't just say "Oh, UNIX already has directories, we don't need no steenking resource forks". Put this another way: don't think about "directories vs resource forks" at all. Instead, think about the problem of supporting something like HFS or NTFS _well_ from Linux. How would you do it? Suggestions welcome. What's your interface of choice for a filesystem like HFS that _does_ have resource forks? Whether you like them or not is completely immaterial - they exist. And usability concerns _are_ real concerns. I'm claiming that the best interface for such a filesystem would be open("file", O_RDONLY) - opens the default fork open("file/Icon", O_RDONLY) - opens the Icon fork open("file/Creator"... readdir("file") - lists the resources that the file has and I'm also claiming that the Linux VFS layer actually shouldn't have any fundamental problems with something like this. Tell me why we shouldn't do it like the above? And DON'T give any crap about whether resource forks are useful or not, because I claim that they exist regardless of their usefulness and that we shouldn't just put our heads in the sand and try to hope that the issue doesn't exist. Linus - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/