227: Filesystem: What Can They Do? Part 1.

There are many different types of filesystems with different capabilities. Once you understand these capabilities, you’ll not only be able to select the proper filesystem for your needs but will understand, for example, how your computer knows when you download applications from the internet so it can warn you when you try to run them. At this point, each of these capabilities will seem unrelated to each other. In a way, they are. Think of them like individual features in a car. This episode will talk about file size limits and volume size limits. You can read the full transcript below. Transcript Knowing what these capabilities are will help you to understand which filesystem to use and how it can be used. This series will explain some common filesystem abilities. You’ll need this understanding to make any sense of one filesystem vs. another. Without it, you’ll be limited to whatever filesystem comes by default with your computer and probably won’t understand why you have problems transferring files from one computer to another. Once you understand these capabilities, you’ll not only be able to select the proper filesystem for your needs but will understand, for example, how your computer knows when you download applications from the internet so it can warn you when you try to run them. At this point, each of these capabilities will seem unrelated to each other. In a way, they are. Think of them like individual features in a car. We can talk about which cars have power steering, what it is, and how it helps you to park. We can also discuss anti-lock brakes, what they are, and how they help you to avoid accidents. Power steering and anti-lock brakes are unrelated except that they both describe capabilities that some cars have and others don’t. These are referred to as features. A car salesperson new to the business will first learn all the features and which ones exist on which cars in the lot. This is definitely a lot better than being clueless about the cars and only thinking in terms of colors and style. But that salesperson will make a lot more sales when the features can be explained in terms of benefits. Talking about how power steering help you to park is more of a benefit. It’s the benefits that you’re interested in when deciding which car to buy. You want to know how a feature can make your life easier or make your travel safer. I could go quickly through common filesystem features and even give you a quick overview of each one. And all that would fit into a single episode. But you’ll get more value from a more detailed explanation of each feature that explains the benefits to you. What will each of these features do for you? Before we get too far though, I want to ask your feedback about something. I started this podcast a couple years ago as a way to help you to learn how to program. Listening to audio is just one activity and you really need to actively program your own projects to really learn. Reading books, watching videos, taking classes, talking with other programmers, subscribing and reading programming magazines, all of these things are needed. There wasn’t a lot of actual teaching going on with audio podcasts at the time. Even today, most podcasts are based on interviews instead of specific topics designed to teach you how to program. Don’t get me wrong. Interviews are great. I listen to them too. But you need more than that. And I sponsored the podcast myself to let you know that I could help you with live classes. I got several offers from potential sponsors but declined them because their products didn’t seem like something you would get value from. Eventually, I found out about Patreon which is a service that provides a way for creators like myself to get paid for providing you with something of value. This can be almost anything. Anyway, I’d like to ask you for feedback about the value you get from this podcast. You see, I&#