Novell Shifts Filesystem After Murder Probe

WebProNews Staff — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 15:47:19 +0000

Novell claimed their move from ReiserFS to ext3 in SuSE Enterprise Linux was in the works before Hans Reiser was arrested on suspicion of murdering his estranged wife.

After authorities moved to arrest Hans Reiser last week over the disappearance of Nina Reiser, some in the Linux world wondered about the impact the arrest would have on ReiserFS. Namesys, run by Hans Reiser, develops the filesystem.

CNet has reported Novell will replace ReiserFS in SuSE Linux with ext3 as the default filesystem option:

“In response to customer demand, in the next version Novell will be changing the default file system in new installations from ReiserFS 3 to ext3,” Novell said in a statement. “Novell will continue to support and improve ReiserFS version 3.”

Issues beyond that of the allegations Reiser faces include a small development community, problems running on large systems, and ongoing funding for Namesys work, the article noted in citing a letter from SuSE’s Jeff Mahoney. Also ReiserFS version 4 has not been made part of the Linux kernel, hampering the company’s efforts to fine revenue to support continued work.

That future looks bleak, but in contrast to the criminal allegations being brought forth, and the disruption of the lives of the Reiser’s two children, losing a job at Namesys does not look quite as crucial.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.

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Novell Shifts Filesystem After Murder Probe