Posted 02 Jul 2009 — by Arun
Category Linux
If you had followed the legal tussle between TomTom and Microsoft, you would know it was about the implementation of FAT filesystem in TomTom’s GPSes. According to Ars Technica, Andrew Tridgell, one of the lead developers behind the Samba project, published a patch last week that will alter the behavior of the Linux FAT implementation. The specific patents in question describe techniques for implementing a “common name space for long and short filenames.” It is a hack for preserving backwards compatibility with the filename munging scheme that was used in MS-DOS when filenames could not exceed 11 characters and were displayed in the so-called “8.3″ format.
The patch will alter the behavior of the Linux FAT implementation so that it will not generate both short and long filenames. In situations where the total filename fits within the 11-character limit, the filesystem will generate only a short name. When the filename exceeds that length, it will only generate a long name and will populate the short name value with 11 invalid characters so that it is ignored by the operating system.
This is Tridgell’s second patch to address the patent issue. His first, which was published in May, completely disabled the creation of files with long filenames. The new patch is a more practical approach and one that will have less detrimental impact on end users. The Linux kernel community was not particularly happy with the first approach, but the new patch is said to have a better chance of being accepted in the mainline kernel.
The Linux Foundation arranged for the patch to undergo extensive review by patent lawyers. They are confident that the patch will effectively evade the common namespace method described by Microsoft’s patents. It will also function properly in virtually all cases. The only situation in which it will be problematic is when the data on the filesystem is accessed from old versions of DOS or Windows that still require the 8.3 filenames. Tridgell believes that such a scenario is rare enough that it will not impact a significant number of users. Those who require compatibility with those older versions of DOS or Windows can use the Linux “msdos” filesystem, which enforces 8.3 names and doesn’t use Microsoft’s patented dual-naming convention.
Source: Ars Technica.
Technorati Tags: Ars Technica, TomTom, Microsoft, GPS, FAT, Filesystem, Linux, MS-DOS
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 — by Arun
Category General
I had a Magellan Roadmate 760 GPS unit. It was good, but it was pretty bulky and the mounting cradle was unstable. I ordered the new maps ($80) for the Roadmate 760 unit. Once I received the map DVD, I started the update process. The map update process didn’t complete and I was left with a non functional unit. Restarting the unit didn’t work and there’s no way to reset the unit back to factory setting. I found by Googling that lot of people had the same issue (map update) with that unit. I then called Magellan support. The call went to their support center in India. The support person asked me the series of questions they were told to ask and then transferred me to a tech specialist. He asked me the same set of questions and then told me that their system to generate the return authorization was down and told me to call back the next day. I read in the forums that most of the people got the same statement from the Magellan tech. I then called the support again the next day and the call again went to India. The support guy asked me the same set of questions again and then transferred me again to the tech supervisor. She then generated a RA# and gave me the address to where I was told to send the unit. I had to pay for the shipping.
I read in the forums that lots of people had to wait for a long time to get a support guy on line, but I didn’t face that issue. The 2 days I called, I got someone on line with in 5 minutes. They were polite. I sent my unit and waited for 2 weeks. I was about to call at the end of the second week when I noticed the package that the Fedex guy left near my garage door. I was surprised to see a new Magellan Maestro 4210 unit. Though my older GPS unit was out of warranty, Magellan told me that they would replaced the unit free of charge since the problem was due to the map update software. I’m pretty much satisfied with the Magellan support (including wait times and replacing the unit).
The new Maestro 4210 is very much sleek and thin compared to Roadmate 760 which was quite bulky. The new unit has 3D map feature which the old one lacked. The new unit also has a battery, which when fully charged might come for 4 hours. This might help if you are on a trek. The only issue I have with this new unit is, it’s little slow to refresh your vehicle’s position. If you have to make a turn, the voice prompts you to turn at the right moment, but the map shows you little away from the road you are supposed to turn. It doesn’t show the exact position of your car (little behind). The new unit also shows your speed and if you have enabled the driving direction, the estimated arrival time. I like the new unit’s glossy touch screen, AAA map information and points of interest (which the old unit didn’t have), more stable mounting cradle etc. The only frustrating thing is the vehicle position. Overall, I like the new unit and satisfied with the Magellan support.
Technorati Tags: Magellan, GPS, Fedex, Roadmate 760, Maestro 4210
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