The New Microsoft exFAT File-System Driver Is Set To Land With Linux 5.7

[M@GOid]

Get off Google's nuts already, they run walled gardens, and they almost intentionally sabotaged the arm platform for general computing. When you put the most devices in the hands of consumers, you make sure you use a standardized boot specifacation and platform, so that everyone isn't locked into your crappy OS. When you hold everyone back like that, then you pulled some late 90's style MS behavoir, and thus must be opposed. MS gets a new chance again, they paid their dues a while ago for bad stewardship, if your standing with Google and Apple, you're working aginst the community.

Where in my text you saw I was praising Google? I only pointed what MS did. Your hate towards them made you blindly offend me without reason.

And for MS "peace and love" stance, I repeat, they are not doing any effort on the OS compatibility front. Still with the same lock-in behavior as before and it is only getting worse, with that MS account to login on Win10.

[phuclv]

Wasn't this the same Microsoft that was suing all Android phone manufacturers for patent infringement? You might had forgotten that, but I do not.

And that is only the tip of the iceberg. I watched them crapping all over the Linux ecosystem over the past 20 years (remember SCO suing with MS money?). I'm not the type that received that shit in the face, and open my arms to receive them like a good old friend the next day.

BTW, they can start the "forgive and forget" steps by not erasing my Linux install (during Windows install) and putting a EXT4 driver on Windows for yesterday. Otherwise they are still the same bastards they always were, hiding behind a smiley face. "MS loves Linux" my ass.

since when did WIndows erase Linux during install? Unless the installing person does that blindly

[Viki Ai]

For your information, exFAT is an important file system, because its widely adopted and does not have the limits of FAT32.

When someone wants to transfer files between Mac, Windoze and Linux systems, its the ONLY file system that all three of them fully support (read/write) AND has support for large file storage (FAT32 has a 4GB file size limit, exFAT has no such limit).

Under Fedora/CentOS, exFAT commands (mkfs.exfat, etc) come with the exfat-utils package.

Though predominantly because the long-established 'U'DF was, from the go, implemented in a deliberately crippled way by both major commercial OSes to render it effectively useless for any cross-platform usage outside optical data disks.

[TemplarGR]

"Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes"

Φοβού τους Δαναούς και δώρα φέροντας....

This is the original Greek saying. Fear the Greeks even if they bring presents, it means.

[rogerx]

Funy, Linux UDF isn't good because it's not finished yet ...

[CommunityMember]

The title is a bit misleading, it suggests Microsoft contributed the driver.

Also they never contributed the patents to OIN, so using this driver without a patent agreement is still problematic.

Microsoft has stated their intent to contribute the patents to OIN, and the legal teams from some of the leading contributors to the entire Linux eco-system have strongly suggested they accept that statement on face value. Sure, Microsoft could be trying a bait and switch, but no one believes that except for the tin-foil be-hatted. Anyone who has dealt with legal understands the entire process(es) take time, even in the best of cases (they are required, under professional responsibilities, to do a full review).

[oiaohm]

The title is a bit misleading, it suggests Microsoft contributed the driver.

Also they never contributed the patents to OIN, so using this driver without a patent agreement is still problematic.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-does-microsoft-joining-the-open-invention-network-mean-for-you/

The way the oin agreement is written once signed a companies complete patent pool be them given to OIN or not cannot be used to attack OIN protected parts unless something was added without their knowledge to those parts then they have to request those project remove that part not attack end users.

Yes there was a reason why Linus the kernel lead ask for a Microsoft personal to approve the include exfat this basically nailed shut Microsoft right to use patents legally.

Microsoft developer approved that addition of exfat drivers to the Linux kernel with Microsoft legal department blessing. So both drivers going mainline for exfat are not written by Microsoft but have been approved for include by Microsoft so under the OIN protection.

The fact Microsoft has not given the exfat patents to the OIN patent pool means OIN members cannot go out and add exfat to other projects non OIN listed projects legally. Only safe to use in OIN covered projects this include the linux kernel. This is downstream protection on all those projects..

Yes the fact that Microsoft has not given the exfat patents to OIN does mean something. But not giving patents to the OIN patent pool does not mean those patents are not licensed to the Linux kernel by the OIN agreement. The reality is the OIN agreement has the exfat patents in Microsoft patent pool licensed for anyone using the Linux Kernel because all the required steps have been done. If Microsoft wants to dispute this now they have to break the OIN agreement they signed.

Yes the OIN agreement also blocks selling of patent to trolls to attack Linux that way as well. This is why Microsoft signing the OIN agreement in 2018 was a big deal.

[polarathene]

UDF file system seems to have none of the restrictions or problems the other proprietary file systems have.

UDF is not good for cross-platform iirc. It might seem like that at first, but then you find out how Windows, macOS and Linux each differ slightly with their implementations/drivers, leads to compatibility issues.

[M@GOid]

since when did WIndows erase Linux during install? Unless the installing person does that blindly

The Linux user had to take extra care for that not happen. AFAIK there is not a friendly option (like you find on most Linux installers) on the Windows installer for it to be installed side by side with a Linux distro. Also, it do not accept to be installed on a partition that is second or third on the drive (in the case you install Linux first), it must be first, or else. And finally, it takes over the boot sector and do not recognize anything that is not Windows.

TLDR Linux installations have to bend over or will not have a Windows install on the same drive, period.

[calc]

The Linux user had to take extra care for that not happen. AFAIK there is not a friendly option (like you find on most Linux installers) on the Windows installer for it to be installed side by side with a Linux distro. Also, it do not accept to be installed on a partition that is second or third on the drive (in the case you install Linux first), it must be first, or else. And finally, it takes over the boot sector and do not recognize anything that is not Windows.

TLDR Linux installations have to bend over or will not have a Windows install on the same drive, period.

You clearly have no idea wtf you are talking about.

I just installed Windows 10 onto the third partition of a system a couple days ago, and it did not wipe the rest of the partitions. And modern computers (> 2011) do not have a boot sector they have an EFI system partition on a GPT drive which allows for as many boot loaders as you want.