8 GB Flash drive formatted at 3.7 GB

[Tim]

On Mon, 2009-12-21 at 23:26 +0100, Björn Persson wrote:
> File permissions are rarely useful on a removable disk that anyone can
> plug into their own computer where they are root. One exception is if
> you use it for backups, in which case ext3 on the removable disk
> preserves the permissions although it can't enforce them.

Keeping ownership, permissions, and contexts, is useful for simple
back-ups.  And avoids the usual problem with FAT stored files, where
everything becomes executable.  Keeping ownership is also useful to
protect against accidents when a removeable drive is moved around boxes,
and several users use it.  Sure, root can mangle anything, but it makes
it harder for the wrong user to stuff up the wrong personal files.

Simple FAT storage losing ownership is useful for transferring file from
box to box, where user "tim" has different UIDs from one box to the
next.  That's a situation I try to avoid, but other people repeatedly
get snagged on, as they recreate users on a new box, but in a different
order.

-- 
[tim at localhost ~]$ uname -r
2.6.27.25-78.2.56.fc9.i686

Don't send private replies to my address, the mailbox is ignored.  I
read messages from the public lists.