linux-kernel - Re: Future of dosfstools project (FAT)

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Date:   Mon, 1 Oct 2018 14:00:28 -0600
From:   Andreas Dilger <adilger@...ger.ca>
To:     Pali Rohár <pali.rohar@...il.com>
Cc:     linux-fsdevel <linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org>,
        util-linux@...r.kernel.org,
        Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
        Andy Shevchenko <andy.shevchenko@...il.com>,
        Karel Zak <kzak@...hat.com>, Andreas Bombe <aeb@...ian.org>,
        Andreas Bombe <andreas.bombe@...il.com>
Subject: Re: Future of dosfstools project (FAT)

On Sep 29, 2018, at 2:40 AM, Pali Rohár <pali.rohar@...il.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi!
> 
> Last year I did some research how Windows and Linux tools handle FAT
> labels (boot sector vs root directory) and proposed some unification.
> More in thread: https://www.spinics.net/lists/kernel/msg2640891.html
> 
> My proposed change for manipulating with FAT labels is now implemented
> in util-linux v2.33, prepared new mtools version, and also in dosfstools
> git (unreleased) https://www.spinics.net/lists/kernel/msg2645732.html
> 
> Project dosfstools contains de-facto standard Linux userspace tools for
> FAT filesystems (mkfs.fat, fsck.fat, fatlabel) and so it is quite
> important because of high usage of FAT.
> 
> But there was no new release of dosfstools since Jan 2017 and for more
> then month I'm unsuccessfully try to contact maintainer of dosfstools
> project (Andreas) about future of project itself.
> 
> I do not know what happened, if either Andreas do not have time or
> something else...
> 
> So does somebody know what is state of dosfstools project?
> 
> Also there are lot of proposed changes (with patches) for this project
> https://github.com/dosfstools/dosfstools/pulls and also more reported
> bugs https://github.com/dosfstools/dosfstools/issues
> 
> If Andreas does not have time, can somebody else at least look at pull
> requests and do some code review?
> 
> I have some other unpublished/unfinished changes for dosfstools, but I
> do not know now if it make sense to invest more time in this project
> when maintainer does not respond... if this project is active or going
> to be dead...
> 
> If dosfstools is going to be inactive/dead, there is still mtools
> project with provides FAT tools too and maintainer of it is now
> preparing new bugfix version. So at least some alternative exists.

If the current dosfstools maintainer is non-responsive, you could always
fork the project in GitHub, land the critical patches into your branch,
 and make a release on your own.  If the maintainer surfaces again, then
they can pull in your patches.  If not, then you are the new maintainer.

Cheers, Andreas






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