[parted-devel] Resize library

[Curtis Gedak]

In the following paragraphs I provide my perspective on parted resizing.

Is parted resizing reliable?
----------------------------

I do not have technical testing evidence, but I have resized many
FAT16/32 file systems with the parted resizing code and encountered
only one minor issue [1].  I have not observed any lost any data with
resizing.

[1] Failure to resize fat32 partitions less than 256 MB in size
    https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=649324

I do not use Macs and hence cannot comment as to the reliability of
HFS/+ resizing.


Is parted resizing important?
-----------------------------

The ability to resize FAT16/32 and HFS/+ file systems is important.

File system resizing provides a gateway for users of other Operating
Systems (DOS/Windows/Mac) to try out GNU/Linux without the purchase of
new hardware.  It does this by enabling the other OS file systems to be
shrunk, freeing up space for GNU/Linux.

Historically I believe this is the reason why many early GNU/Linux
distribution installers used (lib)parted.

Nowadays users of other operating systems can try out GNU/Linux in a
virtual machine.  Additionally modern versions of Windows use NTFS
and hence rely on non-Parted software to perform the resize.

However, this does not eliminate the usefulness of being able to
resize FAT16/32 and HFS/+ file systems.  For example with FAT32 UEFI
partitions.


Who needs file system resizing?
-------------------------------

I would venture that no project needs file system resizing.  Instead
it is computer users that benefit from the ability to resize file
systems.  Unfortunately these users are often not programmers with
in-depth knowledge of file systems.


Where should FAT16/32 file system resizing reside?
--------------------------------------------------

I agree that file system resizing should reside with the project
that provides the ability to create said file system.

In this case the logical place for the FAT16/32 resize ability to
reside is with dosfstools.  Unfortunately the dosfstools project
appears to lack a maintainer.  Further I don't think anyone will ever
add file system resizing capability to dosfstools.  Of course that is
just my opinion -- it would be great to be proven wrong.


Are there other FAT16/32 file system resizing alternatives?
-----------------------------------------------------------

To my knowledge there is no other free software alternative for
resizing FAT16/32 and HFS/+.


In summary I think if we don't put in at least the effort to ensure
that the parted file system resizing library compiles and include it
with parted, then there will be no free software ability to do these
resizes at all.

Curtis