
Microsoft Publishes ExFAT Spec, hopes for Linux adoption - amaccuish
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/win32/fileio/exfat-specification
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Scaevolus
More importantly, they're releasing their patents so Linux can implement ExFAT
in a compliant way. [https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-readies-exfat-
patent...](https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-readies-exfat-patents-for-
linux-and-open-source/)

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squirrelicus
I'm not sure Linux fs devs care about point 1, the simplicity and ease of
implementation. They're already beyond that need. I might choose exFAT if I
wrote my own kernel, but LOC and complexity don't care Linux fs devs.

Points 2 and 3 are moot in the era of ext4 and zfs.

Not sure what their strategy actually is here.

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paulddraper
Compatibility.

The number of exFAT filesystems is large. (Perhaps not as big as FAT32, but on
the other hand it has fewer limitations.)

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squirrelicus
Hmm. By compatibility do you mean translatable metadata across filesystems?

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tssva
By compatibility he likely means that exFAT is supported by Windows and macOS
which means allowing the usage of exFAT will facilitate easy exchanging of
external storage media between systems.

Also by spec SDXC cards come formatted as exFAT filesystems and this change
means Linux can now be compatible with them without requiring reformatting
them with another filesystem.

