UMSDOS
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UMSDOS is a filesystem driver for Linux that simulates the more advanced features of a UNIX filesystem while using an MS-DOS style FAT partition. The addition file properties - access attributes and long names - are stored in files named --linux-.--- (there's a file for each directory). These long names are incompatible with the Microsoft system for long names known as VFAT. There is a UVFAT coming around, though. See UMSDOS developer's page (http://linux.voyager.hr/umsdos/).
In early Slackware distributions, UMSDOS allowed making a Linux system without repartitioning the hard disk. The disadvantage was that it was slower than an ext file system and it was vulnerable to corruption from within DOS/Windows (for instance, by viruses). UMSDOS generally fell into disuse, although in Summer 2002, plans were announced to update it for the newer generation of FAT features that appeared since 1995.
Currently, a special edition of Slackware Linux known as ZipSlack still uses the UMSDOS file system in the aforementioned manner. As suggested in its name, it is convenient for use with Zip Drives.
See also:
- UMSDOS-HOWTO (http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/UMSDOS-HOWTO.html)
- UMSDOS developer's page (http://linux.voyager.hr/umsdos/)pl:UMSDOS