Google Backtracks & Re-Enables EXT3/4 File-System Support In Chrome OS

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Google Backtracks & Re-Enables EXT3/4 File-System Support In Chrome OS

Surprising a lot of readers a few days ago was word that Google was dropping support for EXT2/EXT3/EXT4 file-systems from its file manager within the Linux-based ChromeOS. Now, after receiving a lot of criticism, Google is adding back the support for these common Linux file-systems...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTgxNTQ

[jagoly]

That didn't take long. Still suprising so many people cared about this though. I've got a chromebox, and the first thing I did was put openelec on it. I just can't picture many people using chromeos, and even knowing what a filesystem is.

[teresaejunior]

That didn't take long. Still suprising so many people cared about this though. I've got a chromebox, and the first thing I did was put openelec on it. I just can't picture many people using chromeos, and even knowing what a filesystem is.

From the dates of the comments, it seems that outraged Phoronix readers stormed the bug tracker.

What about storming this one too? https://code.google.com/p/chromium/i...etail?id=52663 To summarize it, Google Chrome calls fsync() and makes the hard drive in my laptop spin EVERY second. I confirmed it with:

$ sudo trace-cmd record -s 10000 -b 10000 -g '*fsync*' -p function_graph
$ kernelshark trace.dat

[Uqbar]

Wtf!

I understand the rage fox EXT4.
I can imagine that EXT3 can be still in use.
But, for the sake of Zarquon, how many people is still using EXT2?

[Alejandro Nova]

I understand the rage fox EXT4.
I can imagine that EXT3 can be still in use.
But, for the sake of Zarquon, how many people is still using EXT2?

People with floppies and low capacity USB thumbdrives, with Linux. There are not many of them.

[Uqbar]

People with floppies and low capacity USB thumbdrives, with Linux. There are not many of them.

Do they use ChromeOS? Can they afford ChromeOS?
Come on!

[FLHerne]

I understand the rage fox EXT4.
I can imagine that EXT3 can be still in use.
But, for the sake of Zarquon, how many people is still using EXT2?

ext2, as a non-journalling filesystem, is better suited for small removable media (thumbdrives, SD cards etc) than ext3 or ext4. It's quite possibly still the most commonly used fs in that role (except FAT of course).

[uid313]

Good

Good, but it leaves me still wondering, what were they thinking in the first place when they did this?

Also will they do anything else than put it back?
Will they modify or fix ext4 in any way they desire it to be?

[Pesho]

From the dates of the comments, it seems that outraged Phoronix readers stormed the bug tracker.

This became popular on Reddit and Hacker News first. Slashdot and Phoronix followed later. All combined forces to storm the bug tracker

[brosis]

I understand the rage fox EXT4.
I can imagine that EXT3 can be still in use.
But, for the sake of Zarquon, how many people is still using EXT2?

There is Ext1-4 as filesystem. And there is Ext1-4 as filesystem driver.
Most people use Ext2 as a non-journaling FS with Ext4 driver. Removable media and /boot partitions due to extreme low overhead due to absence of journal, and disadvantage of journal due to constant overwriting of same disk portion causing early wear out. When one uses tune2fs to remove journal from ext4, this downgrades it into ext2-like FS.