Microsoft wants its exFAT file system in the Linux kernel

guest · Aug 28, 2019

Microsoft wants its exFAT file system in the Linux kernel
August 28, 2019
https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/28/microsoft-wants-its-exfat-file-system-in-the-linux-kernel/

Microsoft today announced it is supporting the addition of its exFAT file system to the Linux kernel. To facilitate the development of “conformant, interoperable implementations,” the company has published the exFAT technical specification on Microsoft Docs.
Microsoft hearts Linux
exFAT is proprietary, and Microsoft owns patents on several elements of its design. But Microsoft also has a newfound love for Linux.
Most pertinently, in October 2018, Microsoft joined the Open Invention Network (OIN) and cross-licensed more than 60,000 patents to participating members.

“Microsoft is supporting the addition the exFAT file system to the Linux kernel and the eventual inclusion of a Linux kernel with exFAT support in a future revision of the Open Invention Network’s Linux System Definition,” a Microsoft spokesperson told VentureBeat.
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To be clear, Microsoft isn’t open-sourcing exFAT — but it is making sure anyone building with Linux can use it. “It’s important to us that the Linux community can make use of exFAT included in the Linux kernel with confidence.”
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Palancar · Aug 31, 2019

How do they really expect this to go "mainstream" without open sourcing the exFAT code?

NGRhodes · Sep 1, 2019

Palancar said: ↑

How do they really expect this to go "mainstream" without open sourcing the exFAT code?
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The specification allows anyone to implement exFAT (patent issue to be put aside by MS).
The wording by venturebeat is inaccurate. Only Microsofts implementation is proprietary. There is already opensource exFAT code from Samsung.

guest · Mar 9, 2020

Linux Kernel 5.7 To Include The New exFAT File-system Driver Code
March 9, 2020
https://fossbytes.com/linux-kernel-5-7-new-exfat-file-system-driver-samsung/

The upcoming kernel 5.6 has already received a bulk of changes and is set to release at the end of April. But, before that, the big update news for the next Linux kernel 5.7 is already here.

Last year, Linux kernel 5.4 was released with support for the Microsoft-developed file-system exFAT. [...] the next Linux Kernel 5.7 is ready to include new and revised exFAT driver codes pushed by the Samsung engineers.
Hence, Samsung engineers continue the development to further improve exFAT. Samsung is the leading contributor in exFAT codebase that aims to extend support to its Android devices and more.

The latest exFAT driver also enables access to Windows disk encrypted data.
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Palancar · Mar 9, 2020

Fortunately its trivial to add exFat to Debian from their repo's. I used to use exFat more than now. I especially like non-logging filesystems and being a single user I don't have needs such as NTFS for multi-user purposes. At one point I was using exFat on my TrueCrypt volumes with modified code. NTFS made hidden vault construction "ugly" for concealment.

xxJackxx · Mar 10, 2020

I find exFAT to be painfully slow compared to other file systems. I also dislike how when copying files from an exFAT partition to a flash drive it copies the files in order of created date instead of alphabetically as NTFS does. Unfortunately NTFS will not be coming to other OSes.

Palancar · Mar 11, 2020

Yep, since we are in the linux forum most reading this know how smoothly EXT stuff runs. Why switch?

guest · Mar 25, 2020

The exFAT filesystem is coming to Linux—Paragon software’s not happy about it
March 25, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/information...o-linux-paragon-softwares-not-happy-about-it/

When software and operating system giant Microsoft announced its support for inclusion of the exFAT filesystem directly into the Linux kernel back in August, it didn't get a ton of press coverage. But filesystem vendor Paragon Software clearly noticed this month's merge of the Microsoft-approved, largely Samsung-authored version of exFAT into the VFS for-next repository, which will in turn merge into Linux 5.7—and Paragon doesn't seem happy about it.

Yesterday, Paragon issued a press release about European gateway-modem vendor Sagemcom adopting its version of exFAT into an upcoming series of Linux-based routers. Unfortunately, it chose to preface the announcement with a stream of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) [...]
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Open source is here to stay
We congratulate Paragon on closing their timely exFAT deal with Sagemcom. Although there's good reason to believe that the Samsung-derived and Microsoft-approved exFAT implementation in Linux 5.7 will be secure, stable, and highly performant, it's not here yet—and it isn't even in the next upcoming Linux kernel, 5.6, which we expect to hit general availability in late April or early May.

In the meantime, a company with a business need to finalize design decisions—like Sagemcom—probably is making the right decision to use a proprietary exFAT implementation, with commercial support. The license costs are probably a small percentage of what the company stands to earn in gross router sales, and Paragon's implementation is a known value.
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However, we suspect the exFAT landscape will tilt significantly once Samsung's Microsoft-blessed version hits the mainstream Linux kernel. Hopefully, Paragon will evolve a more modern open source strategy now, while it still has time.
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