Re: [ros-dev] A room for improvement?

[Pierre Schweitzer]

>   Pierre Schweitzer wrote:
> >   Hi,
> >  while working on GPT handling for ReactOS, one thing appeared: Microsoft (at least in
> > Windows 2003 SP1) is using hardcoded partition entry size, ie it assumes that every
> > partition entry in GPT will be 128 bytes big. Even if that assertion is largely right, it
> > might exist cases where it's wrong. That's even why there's a field in GPT
> > header that contains such size. Furthermore, reading Apple technical note(1) about GPT
> > precise one more thing: "Do not hardwire the current size of the partition entry (128
> > bytes).".
> >  As we have no commercial issues with Apple, perhaps could we drop a bit compatibility
> > with Windows 2003 and fix something obvious? In most cases, users won't see any
> > difference. Only difference would be that ReactOS could properly handle GPT with exotic
> > partition entry size when Windows can't.
> >  Any opinion on that subject?
> >  Best regards,
> >  P. Schweitzer
> >
> >  (1): http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#technotes/tn2006/tn2166.html
> >     
>  
>  What exactly would be the "incompatibility"? I'm for it as long as we
>  don't break drivers or apps. IMO, interoperability with other file
>  systems and disks is more important for reactos than for windows and we
>  don't have to clone every detail of Windows behaviour.
>  
>  Regards,
>  Timo
>  
>  
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Only obvious case I see would be drivers assuming the same assertion than Microsoft: 128
bytes length for partition entry. Ensured that under Windows it would fail if it
wasn't true. Under ROS, it wouldn't fail and may produce issues. But, it keeps
being a really limited issue.