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NTFS for Linux

Posted by tadelste on · 3 comments
eWEEK Linux; By Jeremy A. Kaplan
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There's a fundamental barrier between fans of open-source software and the world of Microsoft Windows, and no, it's not the $299 list price of Windows XP Professional. It's actually a very real communication problem based on differences between Windows and Linux's file systems—the structures that operating systems use to file away data on a computer. Think of the file system as a simple spreadsheet: It associates a filename with an index in a file allocation table. When you ask your computer to open a document, the OS checks this table to determine where on the hard drive it stored the file, down to the precise sector on your disk. Windows uses a file system called NTFS, today's Linux distributions primarily use ext3, and like two warring tribes, the two barely speak. Fortunately, there's a handy tool from Paragon Software Group called NTFS for Linux, which acts like an interpreter for these battling nations.

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Comments (3)

I don't know about those to whom Paragon is peddling this so-called "filesystem interpreter" but, personally, as a heterogenous system and network administrator, I get along just fine with 'modprobe ntfs'...

I don't dual boot, so none of my Linux systems ultimately has any need to "speak NTFS", just occasionally "read it" (mostly from USB drives and reformatted Zips). Though, I suppose /if/ I had need to share data between a dual-booting system... [[oh, IDK, to play Warcraft in Cedega, or run MS Office in CrossOver directly from their to-Windows installations... oops, oh wait, can't "share" the registry :-p ... er, to access my exported OOo documents in MS Office?? :-/ no, to play my downloaded SDL games in XP, yea that's it :) ]]... whatever the reason, it's a lot cheaper just to create a FAT32 partition on my hard drive in Linux (the boot loader's default image). ;) For that matter, "NTFS write" support in the 2.6 kernel is no longer considered "DANGEROUS"... (article error #1).

Some glaring errors (as I see them) in the article:

2. I'm not sure how differing filesystems amount to a "fundamental barrier", or "real communication problem", between their respective users: a) notwithstanding dual-booters, the most these users are likely to share are documents, and other "files", and software on media (or on a network, i.e. SaMBa), neither of which are concerned one iota about the filesystem being used;

3. FAT32 may no longer be an installation option in current Windows versions, but that does not mean that "its killer compatibility has been thrown out the window"; as long as ejectable, rewritable media (floppies, Zips, etc.), continue to be supported by Windows, so will "FAT"; ergo, dual-booters see again above -- everyone else, use the network, or a Linux formatted FAT32 external drive, media, etc. (or, upgrade your kernel);

4. need a recovery disk with NTFS support? try Knoppix.

Thanks Paragon, but kein Dank... I'll keep my $70. To readers considering the investment, I suggest you pay your kid $10 of the would be $70 to teach you how to do one of the above. Tschuess.
Great comment!
pendraco --

http://linux-ntfs.sourceforge.net/status.html#ntfsdriver

If you'll check with the folks who write the linux ntfs driver that's in 2.6, you'll discover that they consider it to be read-only driver. They are only developers, however, they may not know as much about it as you do.

If, on the other hand, the linux ntfs team does know what it's talking about, I can some potential uses for such a driver, especially for somebody who might have reason to move disk drives about various systems, including the case of dead systems, cloned systems, etc.

Anyway, making money off a product for Linux is not a bad thing, and taking away another objection to using Linux -- especially for corporations who are used to the idea of spending money for things -- is better still.

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