EXT4 Getting Faster Case-Insensitive Performance

[phoronix]

Phoronix: EXT4 Getting Faster Case-Insensitive Performance

The Linux 5.2 kernel brings optional per-directory case-insensitive filenames/folders while with the Linux 5.3 kernel that new EXT4 feature will see better performance...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=EXT4-Case-Insensitive-Faster

[anarki2]

I really wish they made this a mount option for the whole FS.

[Guest]

I really wish they made this a mount option for the whole FS.

Since this is an attribute, you might be able to set it on the root directory of the file system. If that isn't the case, you can just do that for every directory in root.

[milkylainen]

Going Windows. Such an insensitive clod...

[Etherman]

Does this really belong in the kernel?

[microcode]

Technically if people were willing to modify their software, sure, it probably should not belong there. Adobe Photoshop for macOS still doesn't work if you turn on case-sensitive filenames, AFAIK.

[milkylainen]

Nope;

case insensitive file-open cannot be provided by applications.

If an application wants to open "myAppSettings.dat", how can it know that the file "MyAPPseTTings.DAT" exists? Only the file system driver can do the case-insensitive search of particular directorie's file name list.

Umm.. No?
You can put it in an application. You list all entries in a path and do a case insensitive search for a file name before you open it.
It's absolutely trivial. You know, there are even handy ages old posix functions for you. strcase*
It's exactly what the kernel will have to do if you do a camelcase name open in a case insensitive mountpoint.

Every application can do it's own case insensitive file search.
But of course that's stupid and pointless. Also not uniform. And that's why it resides in the kernel.

[chroma]

I don't understand what was wrong with case sensitivity. Removing it seems like a feature regression. If one does not want to think about case, why not simply use lowercase letters exclusively when naming files? Why make it about the system in a way that potentially impacts long-established features and eventually portability between systems? Wouldn't operator flexibility and adaptation to the native and long-established *NIX culture have been easier for everyone?

[KellyClowers]

vomit_emoji.jpg

[starshipeleven]

Some people like only those features which benefit them, but despise all features which benefit other people.

is that bad?

I mean he isn't saying this feature shouldn't exist.