2.5 Admins 2.5 Admins 253: ImpossibleFS
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Jun 26, 2025 The discussion kicks off with concerns about the future of next-gen filesystems, particularly the dominance of ZFS. They question whether we might hit a cognitive limit in managing increasingly complex systems. A deep dive into Bcachefs improvements highlights the ongoing challenges in filesystem development. The conversation also weighs the pros and cons of switching to third-party firmware for home routers, examining performance trade-offs and personal experiences with options like Fresh Tomato. Innovation and diversity in storage technology hang in the balance!
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ZFS's Long Development Advantage
- ZFS benefited from 25 years and approximately 100 engineer years of effort, which newer projects lack.
- This extensive investment is a major reason why competitors struggle to match ZFS’s capabilities.
Lack of Long-Term Will in Filesystems
- The current era lacks interest and long-term investment in foundational projects like file systems.
- Most users and investors find file system development unexciting despite its critical importance.
Jim’s Experience With ZFS Checksumming
- Jim Salter was drawn to ZFS because of its per-block checksumming preventing silent data corruption.
- Despite expecting slow performance, he found ZFS performed well, making it indispensable.
