Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!dlyons
From: dlyons@Apple.COM (David A. Lyons)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: file system questions
Message-ID: <38751@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 19 Feb 90 08:45:40 GMT
References: <1557@crash.cts.com> <38736@apple.Apple.COM> <3637@sage.cc.purdue.edu>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 44

In article <3637@sage.cc.purdue.edu> aj0@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Eric Mulholland) writes:
>[...] GS/OS on the other hand is a complete rewrite and thus CAPIBLE of
>larger volume sizes.  Take a closer look at GS/OS and see that it uses
>FSTs to do all the low level work with the hardware.

To be a little picky, the FSTs do all the medium-level file-system work, and
the FSTs ask the device drivers to do all the device-level work.

>[...] There's a Sierra-Online FST.  This allows those who have expensive
>CD drives to READ CDs.  If and when CDs become writeable, this FST will
>not allow you to take advantage of that since the FST is READ ONLY.

The file systems that FST reads are "High Sierra" and "ISO 9660."  (Sierra-
Online is a software company, last time I checked.)  If and when CDs become
writeable, the FST could be updated to support it.  At this point it would
be a waste of engineering time.

>[...] Now there's an AppleTalk FST.  This gives us read/write access on
>AppleTalk networks.  What percentage of GS users are hooked up to
>networks?  I would say not many.  And who is going to run out and buy
>a Mac, hard drive and the networking software just so they can have a
>large storage device to run there GS files from?  I suspect none.

I don't have the numbers, but the AppleShare FST was not intended as a
way for an individual user to get at a large hard drive.  Where a network
with AppleShare file servers is appropriate, the AppleShare FST does a
needed job well.

>[...]  With the size of hard
>drives getting larger, we still CANNOT make good use of them without
>having to resort to defining many partions to fill the space.  This is
>another main reason why we want a mac FST, so we can format the hard
>drive to one big volume! [...]

You don't have to convince me!  I already think having an HFS FST would
be a good idea.  (Do you see anybody arguing against it?)
-- 
David A. Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc.      |   DAL Systems
Apple II Developer Technical Support      |   P.O. Box 875
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My opinions are my own, not Apple's.