Oracle Talks Up Recent Features For XFS + Some File-System Improvements On The Horizon

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Oracle Talks Up Recent Features For XFS + Some File-System Improvements On The Horizon

Oracle's had quite the file-system history and looking ahead to 2020 they appear committed to the XFS boat on the Linux front. Oracle retains control over the upstream ZFS file-system and could push for better Linux integration of that file-system plus they formerly employed Btrfs creator Chris Mason during its infancy. But they also employ lead XFS maintainer Darrick Wong and in keeping in-line with Red Hat Enterprise Linux defaults embrace that as their primary file-system for Oracle Linux...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Oracle-XFS-2019-And-To-2020

[zxy_thf]

Wait a sec. Is this Oracle's Plan B for btrfs?

[Britoid]

Wait a sec. Is this Oracle's Plan B for btrfs?

Oracle Linux ships with xfs as default afaik.

[Doctor Nick]

I doubt that they're going to make any contributions to ZFS on Linux. Their gameplan for that has to be:
1) Wait for Canonical to go public.
2) Sue the bajeezus out of them.

[kylew77]

So Oracle has their hand in three of the biggest file systems out there?! ZFS through Sun, Developed BTRFS, and now developing on XFS! Wow!

[starshipeleven]

So Oracle has their hand in three of the biggest file systems out there?! ZFS through Sun, Developed BTRFS, and now developing on XFS! Wow!

That's not the actual history.

They bought ZFS as part of their Sun package and more or less fired everyone a few months later, started developing Btrfs but then abandoned it (and fired the developers), now they are employing a few guys on btrfs and XFS for the sake of saying they are doing something, but are mostly leeching from others on both filesystems.

[skeevy420]

I doubt that they're going to make any contributions to ZFS on Linux. Their gameplan for that has to be:
1) Wait for Canonical to go public.
2) Sue the bajeezus out of them.

There's nothing for Oracle to sue over. Everyone involved is following the licenses to the letter.

If anything, and this is stretching it, the Linux Foundation has more grounds to sue ZFS on Linux for license incompatibilities. That comes at the very real risk of having ZoL arguing that the BSD, MIT, and other non-GPLv2 licenses that the Linux kernel already uses as grounds to either get the CDDL added to a list of GPL compatible licenses or by arguing that since the more liberal CDDL isn't allowed that other licenses shouldn't be allowed to be combined either. That basically means that the Linux Foundation or Oracle suing over ZFS on Linux on the grounds of licensing would likely get the CDDL allowed to the kernel because, well, losing MIT & BSD licensed code in the kernel means no more AMDGPU or Zstd compression.

Also, follow the trail. ZFS on Linux is funded by the United Stated Department of Energy. Oracle isn't going to sue a project backed and funded by the US Government even if they did have the grounds to sue, which they don't. ZFS on Linux will happen because the American Government wants it to happen -- it's as simple as that.

[cynic]

So Oracle has their hand in three of the biggest file systems out there?! ZFS through Sun, Developed BTRFS, and now developing on XFS! Wow!

what's wrong with that?

They sell Oracle Linux support, they are supposed to have their hands in almost every part of the OS if they want to provide a decent quality level support to their customer, as Red Hat does.

[starshipeleven]

There's nothing for Oracle to sue over.

Only a judge can decide that.

Everyone involved is following the licenses to the letter.

Even assuming this was true, this never stopped Oracle.

Oracle isn't going to sue a project backed and funded by the US Government

Oracle has already sued US gov for 10 billions last year, I don't see why they can't do it again. https://fcw.com/articles/2018/12/07/...-dod-jedi.aspx

Remember we are talking of Oracle here. They aren't evil, they just don't care about anything that isn't profit. They are beautiful in their completely mechanical way of pursuing it regardless of everything else.

[Vistaus]

Oracle isn't going to sue a project backed and funded by the US Government

Right. So the following is fake news then?

https://fcw.com/articles/2018/12/07/oracle-sues-dod-jedi.aspx