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The filesystem code itself might be done, but the internal Linux APIs that code interacts with are not and change over time. And every time those APIs are chang
by lutoma 4y ago
The filesystem code itself might be done, but the internal Linux APIs that code interacts with are not and change over time. And every time those APIs are changed, the SysV fs code might also have to be updated and tested, except apparently you can't even properly test it anymore.
That's a lot of work for something pretty much nobody uses. And in the end the SysV FS support might not even work anymore because of oversights during the API updates.
- throwanem 4y agoAnd it's not as if older versions of the kernel cease to exist when a new one lands, too. Worst case, it'll always be there in source control, just a checkout and a build away.
- rbanffy 4y agoWhen you test a file system are you testing it via the libc APIs, creating, deleting, checking filesystem objects and so on? Or is it done at a lower level API (that I’d hope is the same across filesystems, different features excepted)
- dezgeg 4y agoFor filesystems the former. Having test code running in kernel space is relatively uncommon, though some kernel subsystems do that. "can't even properly test it anymore" almost certainly means not that it is impossible for the maintainer, but more like they have better things to spend their time on.
- rbanffy 4y ago> For filesystems the former. Well... Then, if it builds, it can at least be tested with the same tools that test every other filesystem.