Mac OS X Lion to have native support for NTFS...


Recommended Posts

Better late than never I guess...

Well it's not really that important of a feature imho.

Yes it may make it easier for people who are using for example NTFS formatted USB drives but I can't remember the last time I personally ran into such a need, the exFAT support was considerably more important due to various cameras starting to employ it recently.

NTFS support has been in Snow Leopard. It only reads but default but you can enable the write function by: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=785376

It can be unstable, that's why, I guess, they never enabled it my default.

Does Lion bring read and write natively?

Well it's not really that important of a feature imho.

Yes, and that is your opinion. For those of us in reality-land who have Windows partitions and whatnot, it is a welcome thing. Regardless if you could enable the flakey support in Snow Leopard or not. :p

EDIT: Also, what is the problem with Apple adding 'options' for people? I fail to see any valid reason they should NOT support NTFS.

NTFS support has been in Snow Leopard. It only reads but default but you can enable the write function by: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=785376

It can be unstable, that's why, I guess, they never enabled it my default.

Does Lion bring read and write natively?

I wish I'd known this before reformatting my USB drive into HFS

Excellent. This will save me a bunch of time with not having to load up a virtual machine just to copy files to a disk.

At work I use a lot of external drives that are used by Windows users, not all on Vista/7 (which counts out exFAT) and most of our data files are larger than the max file size FAT32 supports.

When do we see Ext4 and HFS+ in Windows? Here's an estimate; never.

Which has what to do with Apple adding NTFS write support to OSX?

I fail to see any valid reason they should NOT support NTFS.

When Microsoft open up the NTFS format for all to use, then Apple can fully support NTFS.

What's the problem with Microsoft adding 'options' for people? I fail to see any valid reason they should NOT support HFS+.

When do we see Ext4 and HFS+ in Windows? Here's an estimate; never.

Yeah, because Microsoft is usually very slow to support anything other than their own formats for anything (other than common things like MPEG and JPEG). It took Windows 7 before Microsoft put in the ability to natively read MOV files (and even then, it only supports newer ones).

Will Windows work on HFS? It seems very different in design at the core to BSD and Linux

No, it won't. Current versions of Windows won't even install on FAT32 anymore (the last one that did was XP). As it stands right now, Windows is NTFS-only when it comes to booting.

When Microsoft open up the NTFS format for all to use, then Apple can fully support NTFS.

What's the problem with Microsoft adding 'options' for people? I fail to see any valid reason they should NOT support HFS+.

When I installed Bootcamp drivers in Windows it allowed me to view the OSX volume. It'd be nice if it supported it natively but really the Mac population is too small to warrant the time spent.

Microsoft has been better recently though. Particularly with Windows 7 when they introduced native DivX/Xvid support (don't you still need a plugin in OSX for that?).

Will Windows work on HFS? It seems very different in design at the core to BSD and Linux

Never, no. While Microsoft will eventually transition to something in the long distant future, NTFS is still the core of a lot of Windows functionality.

Not built in of course, and I can't comment on how well they work (never had the need) but there are ways for Windows boxes to read Ext4 and HFS.

Of course but here's the crux of the problem; everyone keeps shouting how we must develop Windows interoperability but no one seems to demand that Microsoft do the same. The only concessions we've had so far have been when EU stepped in and told them "Do it or else".

Excellent. This will save me a bunch of time with not having to load up a virtual machine just to copy files to a disk.

At work I use a lot of external drives that are used by Windows users, not all on Vista/7 (which counts out exFAT) and most of our data files are larger than the max file size FAT32 supports.

...

Microsoft released an update for XP that adds support for exFAT, I keep it on a thumb stick so I can install it on any old XP system I come across.

Of course but here's the crux of the problem; everyone keeps shouting how we must develop Windows interoperability but no one seems to demand that Microsoft do the same. The only concessions we've had so far have been when EU stepped in and told them "Do it or else".

No arguments there, and I wouldn't mind seeing the aging NTFS system get replaced with something a bit more modern. Rather pleased with Ext4 myself, can't comment on HFS as my Mac experience is limited to dabbling with a Hackintosh and is pretty rudimentary at best.

Exactly. With both Windows 7 and Snow Leopard natively supporting exFat, I'm not sure if there is even a need for OS X to support writing to NTFS

not important huh? what about people who are in large organizations who rely on windows heavily who have massive amounts of data stored on NTFS volumes, and I'm not talking about network attached storage, but fiber channel SAN's and large portable external drives, etc.......

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Segra 1.6.2 by Razvan Serea Segra is a free, open-source OBS-powered game recorder offering fast gameplay capture, instant clips, AI highlights, deep game integration, and seamless uploads—perfect for gamers, streamers, and content creators. Lightweight, fast, zero bloat. Segra key features: Automatic Game Recording: Begin capturing gameplay the moment your game launches, with zero manual setup. Instant Clipping: Save important moments instantly using a customizable hotkey—perfect for highlights, montages, or quick shares. Segra AI Highlights: Let Segra automatically detect kills, assists, deaths, and key events to generate polished highlight reels without manual editing. Gameplay Uploads: Upload recordings and clips directly to Segra.tv for fast sharing and cloud access. Deep Game Integration: Enjoy advanced game-data tracking across hundreds of supported titles, enabling smart highlight generation and stat-informed clipping. High-Performance Capture: Record up to 4K at 144 FPS using OBS-powered technology with minimal performance impact, supporting NVENC, AMD VCE, and custom quality controls. Segra Editor: Edit recordings easily with timeline controls, segment management, and event-based navigation to build the perfect clip. Customization Options: Adjust hotkeys, output formats, storage paths, codecs, capture quality, and performance settings for a tailored recording experience. Segra 1.6.2 changelog: UI: Improved the transition from the loading skeleton to the real content card. Security: Added Segra.dll code signing and automatic VirusTotal upload. Settings: Fixed the settings header to highlight Account when scrolled to the top. Recording: Updated OBSKit.NET to 1.4.1. Download: Segra 1.6.2 | 74.5 MB (Open Source) View: Segra Homepage | Github | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Hey Google, these are the Gemini features I want in 2026 by Aditya Tiwari Google Gemini has been around for over three years. The AI chatbot started its journey back in 2023 (as Bard) when ChatGPT was already a talk of the town. However, it quickly attracted criticism after misrepresenting facts about the James Webb Space Telescope. The search giant spent a year fine-tuning Bard before rebranding the chatbot and its underlying generative AI model to Gemini, drawing inspiration from NASA's first human spaceflight program. Note that Bard was initially powered by LaMDA and PaLM 2; Google has since added several new features and integrations to Gemini. That said, there is scope for improvement and a gap for new features. I have been using Gemini for a while now and have realized that the chatbot lacks several features, making it harder for me to research across topics. These are mostly function-over-form updates that can improve the overall experience. Delete individual messages from a conversation Image via DepositPhotos.com One good thing about Gemini is that it can maintain context throughout the conversation. But things might get chaotic when you want to ask a related question, but don't want it to be part of your conversation in the long run. You can't ask that related question in a fresh chat because Gemini will lose the active conversation context of what you're trying to research. If Google allowed you to delete individual question/answer pairs, you could simply ask about a sub-topic and remove it from the conversation to create a smooth flow of important stuff. Offline mode Image via DepositPhotos.com A big pain of using Gemini daily is that everything loads from the cloud. It takes time for your chats to appear, and you can't view your conversation history while offline. To get a better idea, you can open the Gemini app and see how it looks without an internet connection. While Gemini models run in the cloud, it wouldn't hurt if Google could store chats (at least the text part) on the device so we can refer to them when offline. Google can also offer a lightweight version of its AI model to help with basic drafting, summarization, and other tasks. It has the Gemini Nano model, which can perform on-device processing on Google Pixel, Samsung, and some other Android brands, but it's a system feature and not related to the cloud-based Gemini app. Make temporary chats permanent I can't thank Google enough for taking the time and effort to add incognito mode or temporary chat mode to the Gemini app. It lets you have conversations without worrying that the topics will end up in your chat history or used for model training (at least on paper). Google claims that it doesn't use your temporary chats to "personalize your Gemini experience or train Google’s AI models." However, the data is stored "up to 72 hours to respond to you and to process any feedback you choose to provide." That said, I often start researching something in a temporary chat, only to realize the chatbot's answer is good enough to refer to later. Sadly, Gemini doesn't have an option to make such temporary chats permanent. In other words, I won't be able to follow up on it if I close the temporary chat. I'm left with alternatives like copying the answers into notes or another app. My digital life will get a lot better if Gemini gets a button to make temporary chats permanent. Collapse answers for a cleaner view You're heavily invested in your research game and suddenly feel the need to go up in the chat to recall something. This is when the conversation thread starts to feel like an overwhelming, unending wall of questions and answers. What if Google added a way to collapse Q&A pairs in the Gemini chat thread? It would look quite clean and easy to navigate. You'll quickly get an overview of everything you have discussed with the chatbot. Add buttons to jump between messages Suggested mockup of the feature. This reminds me of a small but useful Gemini feature that Google could add to its chatbot: the ability to hop between prompts in a conversation. Just add simple up- and down-arrow buttons, similar to YouTube Shorts, so people can quickly scroll through the messages. A table of contents or Chat Overview It's hard to get a bird's-eye view of everything you have discussed with the chatbot during a lengthy conversation. This is where a table of contents, or Chat Overview, displayed at the top of the screen, possibly in a drop-down button, might come in handy. You'll be able to get an overview of the chat and jump between messages, serving as an alternative to the up/down arrow buttons. Temporary mode for Gemini Live Image: Google You can use Gemini Live to have real-time conversations with the chatbot, which feels like you're talking to someone in the same room. However, a downside is that Gemini Live doesn't work in Temporary Chat mode, so all your conversations end up in the chat history. Google should consider expanding the temporary chat mode to include Gemini Live. Default to a specific chat One thing that feels somewhat annoying to me is that Gemini always opens in a new chat, whether on web or mobile. Sometimes, you want to return to your last chat. Google can take cues from web browsers, which let you choose whether you want to go to a new tab or a specific web page(s). Gemini can also have options to default to a specific chat when reopened. That said, generative AI chatbots have endless possibilities given the vagueness of their work. You can mold them the way you want by attaching different connectors, adding custom instructions, and including source files. It remains to be seen what Google has in store for future updates and whether anything from this wishlist gets the green light. The search giant released a stream of new Gemini updates in recent months, including Gemini 3.5 Flash and Gemini Omni Spark, adding that it now has 13 products with more than a billion users each. What do you want to see in the Gemini app? Tell us in the comments.
    • Thank you for the post. Just a FYI that links to an outside site or promoting specific software is considered spamming here. Asking general questions is fine.
    • I have been thinking about AI detector tools as a software workflow rather than a single "AI score" widget. When someone pastes text or uploads a document, the UI can return a report with a probability-style score, sentence highlights, reliability notes, and limitations. The useful part is that it can point a reviewer toward passages worth reading again. The risky part is that a polished score can look more certain than it really is. For people who build or review web apps, what should happen before the user copies or exports that kind of report? The minimum I would expect is: A clear input boundary for pasted text versus document files. Limits shown near the workflow, including minimum text length and maximum file size. A report label that says the result is a signal, not proof of who wrote the text. Sentence highlights and evidence notes alongside the global score. Reliability notes when the sample is too short or lacks enough sentence variety. False-positive and false-negative caveats that remain visible in copied/exported summaries. I am trying to avoid the pattern where a clean report card becomes the whole product story. For AI detection, "review this evidence in context" seems more honest than "trust this score." Would you keep the warning text visible on every report, or make it collapsible so the main result stays easier to scan? Disclosure: I work on a small AI detector/reporting workflow, but I am intentionally not linking it here. I am asking about software and report design, not promoting a site.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      sumytbe earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Year In
      B4dM1k3 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Year In
      DarkWun earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Almohandis earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Dedicated
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Dedicated
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      507
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      181
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      86
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      78
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!