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Comment by freehunter | Hacker News Reader

By far the worst part of using Linux, Windows, and Mac is trying to find a compatible filesystem for them. Every time I have a file on my Mac that I need to transfer to Windows or from Windows to Linux, trying to write to a filesystem that is supported by all three platforms is just an exercise in frustration.

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Sadly (or not sadly depending on your perspective), most people today will use a remote host via Google Drive or DropBox (or even email) and not have this problem.

It's absolutely insane that this is the most painless workaround in 2020

I agree it’s a niche problem. It also sucks that I’ve had this problem for almost 20 years now and it’s still a problem.

Not helpful though if you want to move large files quickly.

Ever tried a spare partition formatted to an older UDF? Like 2.0x? Or if that is too wonky a spare partition formatted to some FAT, and "burn" an ISO into that, then mounting that ISO later on from whichever target you are on. Mounting ISOs without burning them is universally supported. Only remaining annoyance then is the wasted drive capacity, but that depends on your needs.

I used UDF on USB media for years, and only past tense because I don't have much need of passing files between systems on physical media anymore. Iirc, there were some sharp edges, but it was an overall refreshing experience compared to dealing with FAT or dealing with any other experience. I would recommend UDF based on my own experience.

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