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case-sensitive, journalied?
- Thread starter zoran
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The default file system is NOT case-sensitive. It is, however, case aware.
So you can save a file called "WONKYdonkey", and it will be saved to the disk as such.
However, you can't save a different file called "wonkyDONKEY" in the same folder. Attempts to do so will overwrite the existing file.
The file system remembers case, but does not distinguish between them.
If you use a case-sensitive file system, then you can have different files in the same folder with the same name, but different case.
One reason for not doing so is that some software doesn't work in case-sensitive file systems -- particularly Adobe software -- because it assumes case-insensitivity.
In short: you should use "Mac OS X, Extended, journalled".
So you can save a file called "WONKYdonkey", and it will be saved to the disk as such.
However, you can't save a different file called "wonkyDONKEY" in the same folder. Attempts to do so will overwrite the existing file.
The file system remembers case, but does not distinguish between them.
If you use a case-sensitive file system, then you can have different files in the same folder with the same name, but different case.
One reason for not doing so is that some software doesn't work in case-sensitive file systems -- particularly Adobe software -- because it assumes case-insensitivity.
In short: you should use "Mac OS X, Extended, journalled".
Unless you have very specific techy needs for that file system: you should not use it.
The Adobe issue is partially sloppy coding in how they use filenames that are part of the Adobe software.
As for the OS X system disk, I think there are other issues around case sensitivity.
Just to add to the chorus... discovered last week while helping a forum member that case sensitive does not play nicely with Migration Assistant either. The user had some iTunes library folder on a case sensitive main drive and Migration Assistant refused to move them to a new machine.
Historically, Unix filesystems have always been case-sensitive. My understanding is that there's some Java stuff that relies on a case-sensitive filesystem. Or if you're porting some other software systems originally written for Unix, it might require case-sensitivity.
I remember reading that case-sensitive file systems are simply more efficient (e.g. for querying directories) and this mattered many, many years ago, but not really anymore, at least not for most purposes. I assume that this is also where the convention of naming directories and files in lowercase comes from, to keep the system structure predictable.
I suppose in OS X the option is there for compatibility. As Weaselboy touched upon, transferring files from case-sensitive to case-insensitive is a PITA. ‘/System’ and ‘/system’ can coexist on the former, but not the latter. A sloppy transfer will either ignore, overwrite or rename one of the two. A case-sensitive HFS+ volume is still better for compatibility with OS X than FAT or ExFAT, so it could be used as a transitory system.
Apple has not disclosed yet whether they will make the switch to case-sensitivity with Apple File System, as that system is currently case-sensitive only.
I suppose in OS X the option is there for compatibility. As Weaselboy touched upon, transferring files from case-sensitive to case-insensitive is a PITA. ‘/System’ and ‘/system’ can coexist on the former, but not the latter. A sloppy transfer will either ignore, overwrite or rename one of the two. A case-sensitive HFS+ volume is still better for compatibility with OS X than FAT or ExFAT, so it could be used as a transitory system.
Apple has not disclosed yet whether they will make the switch to case-sensitivity with Apple File System, as that system is currently case-sensitive only.
I've encountered unix tarballs that rely on case insensitivity. Don't recall the exact details. It may have been a file in all caps (INSTALL), with an directory named (install) containing various system specific stuff (install.VMS, install.SGI, install.CRAY, etc). Don't recall the exact details, though.
It used to be that
hello.c was a c file
hello.h was a c header file
hello.C was a C++ file
hello.H was a C++ header file
When you're used to working with case-sensitive file systems, I guess you can develop certain habits that don't work when someone a decade or two later ports the same code to MacOSX.
It used to be that
hello.c was a c file
hello.h was a c header file
hello.C was a C++ file
hello.H was a C++ header file
When you're used to working with case-sensitive file systems, I guess you can develop certain habits that don't work when someone a decade or two later ports the same code to MacOSX.