Macintosh File System
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Infobox filesystem Macintosh File System (MFS) is a volume format (or disk file system) created by Apple Computer for storing files on 400K floppy disks. MFS was introduced with the Macintosh 128K in January 1984.
MFS was notable both for introducing resource forks to allow storage of structured data, and for storing metadata needed to support the graphical user interface of Mac OS. MFS allows file names to be up to 255 characters in length, although Finder does not allow users to create names longer than 63 characters. MFS is called a flat file system because it does not support a hierarchy of folders.
Folders existed as a concept on the original MFS-based Macintosh, but worked completely differently from the way they do on modern systems. They were visible in Finder windows, but not in the open and save dialog boxes. There was always one empty folder on the volume, and if it was altered in any way (such as by adding or renaming files), it would be replaced with a new Empty Folder.
The Macintosh File System did not support volumes over 20 megabytes in size, or about 1,400 files. While this is small by today's standards, it seemed very expansive when all Apple Macintosh computers at the time had a 400 kilobyte floppy drive.
Apple introduced Hierarchical File System as a replacement for MFS in September 1985. In Mac OS 7.6.1, Apple removed support for writing to MFS volumes, and in Mac OS 8 support for MFS volumes was removed altogether.
References
- Apple Computer, Inc. (1985). Inside Macintosh Volume II. New York: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-17732-3.