Lindows.com announced today its official support for Reiser4, the next version of ReiserFS from Namesys, creator of the advanced filesystem available for personal computers. Read more for the rest of the press release:
Lindows.com is providing monetary support to Namesys, and will also be working closely with the company to supply comprehensive quality assurance support. Reiser4 will be built into LindowsOS, the leading Desktop Linux operating system, in early 2004, allowing the operating system to take advantage of the latest technologies in writing data onto hard drives. LindowsOS currently uses version 3 of ReiserFS.
“We supported ReiserFS at MP3.com, and are happy to continue that support here at Lindows.com,” said Michael Robertson, chief executive officer of Lindows.com. “Filesystems are the foundation and underpinning of all operating systems, and having Reiser4 in LindowsOS will make it faster and more reliable than ever.”
Reiser4, a complete rewrite from the previous version, features a number of advanced technologies to eliminate file corruption, enhance security and save hard drive space while also maximizing speed of writing to the hard drive. ReiserFS is currently the fastest filesystem available, and the 2-5x speed improvement found in the new Reiser4 will allow for data to be written to hard drives at an unsurpassed rate, making the execution of computer processes involving the hard drive to be completed with a minimum of process time and utmost reliability.
Reiser4 is also an “atomic” filesystem, so file corruption is eliminated, since operations are either completed or do not occur at all, making it virtually unbreakable. This allows for tight security, as well as superior consistency in data. A plug-in architecture allows for exceptionally easy customization of the filesystem, with outside contributors permitted to upgrade the filesystem without having to rewrite the disk.
“We are thankful for support from companies like Lindows.com, as it enables us to push the frontiers of filesystem technology and deliver a more reliable experience,” said Hans Reiser, creator of ReiserFS. “Ongoing contributions from additional sponsors as they come forward, and from technologically-aware organizations that depend on robust filesystems, will ensure our continuing ability to offer the best quality filesystem in the industry.”
They want to be a windows-wana-be
And have smthng like WinFS
so they’ll use ReiserFS4
No. They aren’t aiming down. They are aiming up. They want to help reduce MS to an after thought.
As for WinFS. Everything in WinFS existed elsewhere first. MS is not an innovator. They are a stifler of innovation.
Thats the most rediculous thing I’ve ever heard.
WinFS is a great idea, why not copy it?
I don’t think it is about being a windows wanna be, it is about pushing the envelope on desktop operating systems. Heck Microsoft doesn’t have a working demo yet, and if Lindows can beat them to a metadata driven file system more power to them.
I think we have been trolled
the important thing to remember about Lindows is that they give credit where credit is due, especially when it comes to innovative technologies… Microsoft on the other hand will only steal other peoples ideas and call it innovation. Look at the numerous suits that Microsoft lost over the last year, it should be obvious that they do not have innovation in them.
Reiser4 has the features of a database with the performance of the best filesystems. And it is the most efficient file system for very small files. Plus it is a very good argument if someone tries to tell you that open source software is not innovative.
Now the only thing that is needed for true beos style live queries is a fast and efficient file change notification mechanism.
WinFS?
What WinFS. WinFS does not exsist yet. Reiser3 has been out for quite sometime and is very good! Reiser4 will be out next year and WinFS??? Hummmmm, I hear tell it will be at least 2006 if ever.
So how can this be a Windows wanna be when it’s already done and going to be in use soon??
You show me someone who is using the “WinFS”. I see Longhorn sightings all over the net. Know people who are running it but guess what it’s still using NTFS 5!
And you know WinFS is just gonna be NTFS upgraded (Meaning you still will have to defrag and chkdsk and all that other stupid crap that you still have to do in XP) Hummm, when was the last time I had to defrag or chkdsk my Linux machine?? Hummmmm back when I was using good ole EXT2 (No defrag but chkdsk if the machine got cut off while in use)
Man Lindows seems to be giving back not just source code but MONEY to companies that write good software for them. Does Red Hat do that? Or Suse? They make millions and only give back SOME of the sorce code. (Like the fact that you can’t recompile RED HAT AS 3 from source)
On that note let me tell this story (And another reason I use Lindows)
I work for the federal government (US government) and I use Lindows as my desktop. A couple of days ago we got the LETTER (Letter from SCO) which started pandamonium! People started snatching PC’s from the network that were running Linux. But lucky me I am running Lindows and Lindows had made a deal int he past for technical support and ideas from guess who??? SCO. So under that contract they are covered (So far) and I didn’t have to pull my machine. (Yet)
Anyway when R4 comes out it will be open source so it will be used no only in Lindows but in any other version of Linux who wants to use it. (Which is GREAT!)
Does anyone know if ReiserFS v.4 still puts so much strain on one’s CPU and other system components, much like v.3 does right now? I’ve heard a lot about people having problems with ReiserFS in overclocked systems, and it would be nice to know if I’m going to have to take it down a notch before I start testing out v.4 when it becomes “reliable” and “stable”, hehe.
form what i have heard winfs is just a layer ontop of NTFS so its not really a filesystem
[quote]Q: I keep hearing that WinFS is a new file system. Is Microsoft abandoning NTFS?
A: No. WinFS is implemented as an add-on to NTFS and is not a completely new file system. Rather, it is a new storage engine built on the NTFS file system.[/quote]
source:http://winsupersite.com/faq/longhorn.asp
>Man Lindows seems to be giving back not just source code but
>MONEY to companies that write good software for them. Does
>Red Hat do that? Or Suse? They make millions and only give
>back SOME of the sorce code. (Like the fact that you can’t
>recompile RED HAT AS 3 from source)
I’m not anti-Lindows, but I think it’s fair to say that Red Hat’s contributions back to the community outscale anything Lindows has done so far – by an order of magnitude. All (not some) of Red Hat’s own code has been released under OSS licenses. Suse holds back some stuff, like Yast, but in general has also been very good about feeding stuff back upstream and participating at the project level.
Note that RH’s ISO policy for RHEL (including AS) is similar to Suse’s; nonetheless the code is OSS and “work-alike” products with RH’s trademarks removed can be made. Witness White Box Enterprise Linux and Tao Linux.
First of all, I loved reiser3. However I think that it’s a bad idea to put reiser4 into “production” environment so soon. Despite all of the claims of stability from the Reiser camp, there can only be so many tests done internally. From a business standpoint, I think Lindows is taking too much risk for too little benefit.
I dont think most of you even know what it is. WinFS is a scaled down MS-SQL server for storing meta-data for “objects” in the systems, such as EMails, Movies, Music, SpreadSheets, etc, all of which are first class objects under .NET, and where one of the fields in the database is a “pointer” to a regular NTFS5 file.
Also, NTFS5 has always had Journalling just like ext3/ReiserFS3/etc.
ps. My friend used WinFS while he was working Win2003’s bug reporting facilities at Redmond, and decided that while it was very cool, its was also slow as molasses.
Cheers,
Ryan
What’s with all these people hating on Lindows? So what if they do some windows imitation? People are used to windows, so Lindows needs to be similar to suceed. I’m sure IF windows ever dies Lindows will have the freedom to change thier look slowly to something more unique. I don’t use Lindows personally(I like gentoo), but thier monetary sponsorships of stuff like kde-look.org and now reiserfs, plus the strong attitude they have towards MS, the inroads to oem-hood(walmart), the dreamweaver alternative they started etc…
Can’t people realize that they are are trojan horse for linux to attack MS on the desktop? I haven’t seen any legitimate reasons to attack Lindows, aside from thier big ego, but confidence helps in business world.
Well helas, I think saying they have a big ego is a bit of an understatement.
I can’t really find a whole lot to fault them on, though, since they’ve allowed the creation of a normal user during the install process recently (IIRC). Think they could do a bit of a better job on not charging so much. Then again, that could be my cheap/broke side talking.
Wasn’t Michael Robertson also from mp3.com?
I believe mp3.com sponsored the original reiserfs.
I should read the article first next time.
LindowsOS currently uses ReiserFS3, and we go “way back” with Hans Reiser. The main sponsor for the first ReiserFS was Michael Robertson when he was CEO at MP3.com. We’re thrilled to now help with Reiser4. If you take a look at the Reiser4 information (http://www.namesys.com), you’ll see this is one truly amazing file system. It’s not trying to play catch up with anyone, but really is surpassing what’s out there and we couldn’t be more proud to help.
A better file system makes for a better OS, and that’s why we’re supporting Reiser4 and debuting it in the next version of LindowsOS, and because it’s open source, look for it to be making many Linux versions better!
As for thinking it’s a bad idea to include Reiser4 “too soon,”…please understand that Reiser4 is FINISHED and in testing as we speak. In January THOUSANDS of Lindows.com Insiders will be helping with this testing as well. We just released LindowsOS 4.5, so it will be several months yet before you see Reiser4 in a commercially available release. So, Reiser4 will have months of solid testing before it’s released.
For those of you curious about some of the other projects Lindows.com has started or supports, you can visit http://lindows.com/opensource
People like Hans don’t know how to start or run a “business.” That’s not what they’re good at. They want to code! (Hans is a genius in that dept!) Working with companies like Lindows.com helps them to do what they do best (code), and be funded by those who understand how to market and distribute what they build. As for us charging too much…well, we’ve burned through millions of Michael’s money so far and aren’t profitable yet, so if we want to stick around, and keep trying to advance Linux to the desktop, we need to charge something. We think our pricing is fair. If it wasn’t, we’d be super profitable, like you know who. =)
Thanks,
Kevin Carmony
President, Lindows.com, Inc.
Kudos to Lindows for supporting a rock-solid filesystem. I hope all goes well with your testing. On a side note, kudos for making such an excellent distro. You have my patronage.
Kevin, Thanks for supporting the developers.
More companies need to have this attitude.
Congratulations on you “philosophy”.
Alex.
This might be somewhat off topic but what is the better filesystem to use for linux as an avg user that is?
–Idoxash
mr. robertson has exceaded expectations. this will make the next windows release change its name to short horn . i tell you this is the biggest improvement in linux since linus wrote the kernal .
he ruled the last 20 some years now windows needs to take its place in history and be remembred as the os that standardized the computer desktop. historians will look back on this as epoc when the shift in to open source software occured in the early part of the 21 st century and windows slowly faded to black…
Hummm, when was the last time I had to defrag or chkdsk my Linux machine??All filesystems are getting fragmented. ReiserFS might be efficient but it does fragment (especially when there’s not much space left). Moreover, Reiser4 will ship with a “repacker”…
If you think fragmentation was a thing from the past, think again.
Reiser4 will have a such called “repackager” which does stuff like defragmenting. It is a fragmenting file system. Not on the creation but on the modification of files.
I know this BB started off as ReiserFS4 and then moved on to Lindows/MS, so I apologise in advance if this comment is in the wrong section.
I use Win XP and Lindows everyday. All I can say is that I have never had a system crash under Lindows ever!. LindowsOS is used by my parents who dont even know what a USB port is.
Now hears the thing, we can all say this OS is better than that and all give very good examples of why you should use one type of OS over another, but I have never had to support my parents while using Lindows PC, but I still get a call a couple of times a week on why the XP pc had done something stupid, or do they need this patch…. So in my view Lindows has done something very good, it’g given simple folk like my parents the ability to on line without having to be worried over virus/hackers and I dont have to support them. Its also very cheap. $49 for the OS and $29 for Star Office 7 and $49 membership to CnR a total cost of $127 and it does all that Win XP can do and a bit more besides. Now as my parents are a home user and not in the business world $127 is a price well within there reach and worth paying – Dont you agree?
“$49 for the OS and $29 for Star Office 7”
Hey that is wrong, you can buy Star Office 7 together with LindowsOS 4.5 for 49 bucks!
But you gave a good comment on why you like Lindows!
You were making really good points up until half way through where you started sounding like a babbling troll.
“I work for the federal government (US government) and I use Lindows as my desktop. A couple of days ago we got the LETTER (Letter from SCO) which started pandamonium! People started snatching PC’s from the network that were running Linux. But lucky me I am running Lindows and Lindows had made a deal int he past for technical support and ideas from guess who??? SCO. So under that contract they are covered (So far) and I didn’t have to pull my machine. (Yet)”
Only a moron would rejoice in that. All Linux needs to stick together. Even Lindows is smart enough to not to use that as a tool against other distos. You are NOT helping Lindows.
“(Like the fact that you can’t recompile RED HAT AS 3 from source)”
I assume you mean “as is”. This is a lie. The ONLY thing you can’t use is the artwork. And if you plan on selling the disk, you can’t call it Redhat. Simple as that. When was the last time you tried to recompile Lindows anywhere near “as is”.
“Man Lindows seems to be giving back not just source code but MONEY to companies that write good software for them. Does Red Hat do that? Or Suse? They make millions and only give back SOME of the sorce code. (Like the fact that you can’t recompile RED HAT AS 3 from source)”
Actual code is the lifeblood of FLOSS.
Mandrake, Debian, Redhat, Gentoo, Fedora and every other disto in the world will include ReiserFS 4 support.
I am glad to see someone else point out that WinFS is slow. Of all the reports, documents, press releases, and presentations I have seen on WinFS, NOBODY even mentions speeds as even an afterthought for the design. WinFS is like 4 layers on top of existing NTFS. It was designed with only features in mind.
Hi
I wish Lindows would create for macs or other Linux for mac for easy installation just like pc do.
JEH
Lindows on mac… hmmmm
Lin-OSX?
LOSX?
This is for all those people who talk but don’t read!
If you have ever been to the White Box site and read the news you will see this little tidbit that talks about tthe fact that Red Hat could not have built RHEL3 from the published SRPMS:
http://www.beau.org/~jmorris/linux/whitebox/news.html
Red Hat DID NOT build RHEL3 from the published srpms. Period, end of story. They didn’t even build taroon from it’s source. Openssl’s srpm does not build the same binaries as the ones supplied in taroon and it is the same srpm as the one in RHEL3. I’m porting in a copy from fedora which builds correctly. Plus the package set is not self sufficient to actually build itself, several additional srpms need to be tracked down. Intentional GPL violation or carelessness? I’m reporting, You decide.
The real wierd part is that a diff between RHEL and Fedora’s openssl package reveal no differences that could account for the linkage errors. But RHEL’s openssl package doesn’t produce a /lib/libssl.so.4 linked with with the kerberos libraries and Ferdora’s does, building on the same Taroon+ machine.
So before you talk please READ first instead of assuming and commenting! Thank you!
(Oh and Lindows does recompile as is besides click and run!)
The point is you can’t make a work alike Red Hat product by just stripping out the logos. If that were the case then groups like White Box would not have whole web sites dedicated to trackng down bugs and problems that are not related to the Red Hat build but are related to the fact that they have to tweak and side step the Red Hat source to get a working product.
Also I would not say that just giving back code that people have to put more work into just to get working is any better then giving money to groups like KDE, Crossover Office, Reiser, Kde-Look etc. Sorry but money talks and BS walks.
Hummm, when was the last time I had to defrag or chkdsk my Linux machine?? All filesystems are getting fragmented. ReiserFS might be efficient but it does fragment (especially when there’s not much space left). Moreover, Reiser4 will ship with a “repacker”…
If you think fragmentation was a thing from the past, think again.
Here we go, another case of not reading what I wrote. Jumping on what a person says but not READING. I didn’t say “File Systems do not fragment” I said “when is the last time YOU had to defragment your Linux machine.”
Meaning that even though filesystems do get fragmented in all OS’s Windows is one of the only OS’s left where by hand you have to go and dfrag your machine. And lord don’t get close to having your drive full. LOL! Because Virtual Memory then goes wacky. And if your drive is fragmented (And you have not wasted a day defraging it. Of course if you are like me you do it once a week. LOL!) Your machine will HANG and drag and applications will lock the whole machine up. (And I am talking about in XP Pro SP1)
Messy!
This is good news for the open source community. Now Microsoft will be required to play catch-up once again.
“And lord don’t get close to having your drive full. LOL! Because Virtual Memory then goes wacky.”
Two ways you can get around that, either a) have a HD or partition dedicated to the swapfile, or b) make the swapfile a constant size. People will recomend different sizes and offer all manner of conflicting if individually well thought out justifications for their choices.
Off the top of my head, I say that 2.5x your RAM is a good place to start, unless you know for sure that you’re going to be doing things that will eat more swap space.
“Two ways you can get around that, either a) have a HD or partition dedicated to the swapfile, or b) make the swapfile a constant size. People will recomend different sizes and offer all manner of conflicting if individually well thought out justifications for their choices.
Off the top of my head, I say that 2.5x your RAM is a good place to start, unless you know for sure that you’re going to be doing things that will eat more swap space.”
I was talking about in Windows. Using another partition or drive for your virtual memory does not work well at all with windows. 🙂 Even though it can be done. 🙂