Idea for a New Filesystem
Programmer Marc Perkel gave kernel developers something to think about with his proposal for a new filesystem.
Marc Perkel published his idea on developing filesystems in the Linux Kernel Mailing (lkml). He is more or less proposing to ditch previous approaches and redesign filesystems completely from scratch. Perkel based his proposal on the user's viewpoint, rather than that of the programmer's: this means a departure from a system of owners and groups and a move to complex permissions. He gives an example of a granular system of permissions: a user who lists a directory would only see the files for which they have permissions. The advantage of this would be various intermediate levels of users, rather than just root and everyone else.
A subscriber to the mailing list objects that this would cause file naming conflicts. If a user attempted to create a file with an existing name, because the user was unaware of the file, naming would be pot luck, and this was why programmers – and not users – developed filesystems.
Kernel developer Michael Tharp takes a similar view, pointing in particular to security issues. An attacker with write permissions for a "sticky" directory such as /tmp could discover files belonging to other users by trial and error. Tharp suggests reworking group and user permissions rather than starting from scratch, stating that there is some scope for changes to group permissions, which are particularly important for team work.
Israeli kernel programmer Yakov Lerner made a diplomatic contribution to the discussion saying that no matter how impromptu the proposal might be, the doors were open to experiments of any kind.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.
-
Firefox 134 Offers Improvements for Linux Version
Fans of Linux and Firefox rejoice, as there's a new version available that includes some handy updates.
-
Serpent OS Arrives with a New Alpha Release
After months of silence, Ikey Doherty has released a new alpha for his Serpent OS.