Some patches for Linux 6.15-rc4 (updating the kernel driver for the Bcachefs file system) triggered some “straight-to-the-point wisdom” from Linus Torvalds about case-insensitive filesystems, reports Phoronix.
Bcachefs developer Kent Overstreet started the conversation, explaining how some buggy patches for their case-insensitive file and folder support were upstreamed into the Bcachefs kernel driver nearly two years ago:
When I was discussing with the developer who did the implementation, I noted that fstests should already have tests. However, it seems I neglected to tell him to make sure the tests actually run… It is _not_ enough to simply rely on the automated tests. You have to have eyes on what your code is doing.
Overstreet added “There’s a story behind the case insensitive directory fixes, and lessons to be learned.” To which Torvalds replied…. “No.”
“The only lesson to be learned is that filesystem people never learn.”
Torvalds: Case-insensitive names are horribly wrong,
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