M$ to license FAT

[John Macdonald]

On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 11:45:29AM -0500, Taavi Burns wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 12:37:42PM -0500, John Macdonald wrote:
> > # U.S. Obvious #5,579,517
> > Long Common name space for and shorts filenames
> > # U.S. Obvious #5,745,902
> > Method and system for accessing has file using file names having different file name formats
> > # U.S. Obvious #5,758,352
> > Long Common name space for and shorts filenames
> > # U.S. Obvious #6,286,013
> > Method and system for providing has common name space for long and shorts spins names in year operating system
> 
> Okay, as someone else said, these all seem to relate to long filenames
> on FAT (i.e. VFAT).  What about people who don't use those extensions?
> My digital camera sticks very strictly to the old 8.3 filenames.  And
> hey, if a Linux person needs to use a FAT drive for file exchange, but
> usually use Linux, there may be a revisiting of UMSDOS.  ;)

That's no going to work.  Long names are convenient
to use, and the MS license is just 25 cents per
device (or less - there is a cap so large volume
manufacturers pay less per device on average).

A free alternative might be better (ext2 might work),
but again it is the camera and USB device makers
that have to be convinced.  For now, they support
FAT and ensure Windows customers or go to lengths
to allow Linux customers and reduce their sales to
Windows customers.  As a higher proportion of the
target customers become Linux instead of Windows,
they will eventually get some incentive to change -
that will like happen first outside of North America.
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