Message-ID: <19970204163424.PD14648@hagbard.demon.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 1997 16:34:24 +0000
From: Dave Pearson <davep AT hagbard DOT demon DOT co DOT uk>
To: opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net
Subject: Re: [opendos] OpenDOS + Win95 w/FAT32?
References: <30177 DOT 9702021617 AT dufftown DOT dcs DOT st-andrews DOT ac DOT uk> <199702040034 DOT BAA14920 AT math DOT amu DOT edu DOT pl> <19970204074928 DOT VX02648 AT hagbard DOT demon DOT co DOT uk> <32f81880 DOT 801766 AT crox DOT demon DOT co DOT uk>
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In-Reply-To: <32f81880.801766@crox.demon.co.uk>; from Brian Dukes on Feb 4, 1997 11:12:22 +0000
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Brian Dukes writes:

> >Hmm, there is an interesting question. If filesystem support is loaded
> >from CONFIG.SYS, and you want to have a 100% VFAT or even ext2fs
> >filesystem, how will DOS be able to read the filesystem to find
> >CONFIG.SYS so that it can load the file system driver that is required
> >to read things from the filesystem that CONFIG.SYS is held on....
> 
> [SNIP]
>
> To be honest, I can't see that its going to be practical to move from
> one IFS to another nilly-willy just by changing an instruction in the
> CONFIG.SYS, 

Neither can I, that's not what I'm suggesting or indeed asking.
However, there is a very good reason why you'd want to not build all
filesystems into the DOS kernel.

> for one the data stored under one IFS would be fairly incompatible
> with the data stored under another .. and therefore, in order to
> switch between filing systems you would probably ZAP the partition
> first!

You have totally missed by point. I was wondering out loud about the
idea of not building the filesystem into the kernel of DOS but having
the filesystem loaded from (for example) CONFIG.SYS. No-one shifts
filesystem lightly and the fact that you will loose the data should be
pretty self evident to anyone.

Besides, I can't see your point. Even if they *do* ZAP the partiton
(after taking a backup I'd hope), my question still stands.

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