linux-ext4 - why are acls & user xattrs off by default?

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Message-ID: <478EC178.2050609@redhat.com>
Date:	Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:46:16 -0600
From:	Eric Sandeen <sandeen@...hat.com>
To:	ext4 development <linux-ext4@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: why are acls & user xattrs off by default?

I was looking through Anaconda to see what it's doing when it makes ext3
filesystems:

        rc = iutil.execWithRedirect("tune2fs",
                                    ["-c0", "-i0", "-Odir_index",
                                     "-ouser_xattr,acl", devicePath],
                                    stdout = "/dev/tty5",
                                    stderr = "/dev/tty5", searchPath = 1)

-Odir_index is redundant by now; it's default in e2fsprogs.

-c0 -i0 are probably subject to some debate, but...

why are user_xattr & acl required to be mount options for ext3?  (added
to defaults or explicit?)  I'm sure there is some history here, but why
build it all into the module, and then turn them off without some extra
magic passed in?  What's the advantage to disabling user xattrs & acls
at runtime by default?

Thanks & just curious,

-Eric
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