[ros-dev] A room for improvement?

[Pierre Schweitzer]

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