> The operating system part that handles files consists of two layers,
> Mac OS X and HFS+.
More precisely, you've got the kernel which sits above a number of
distinct FS layers (UFS, HFS+, isofs, NFS, webdav, vfat, etc.).
That's why you're able to plug a USB key in Windows format and have it
just work.
> The upper layer accepts all byte sequences (up to limitations with
> "/" and "\000", probably),
That's exactly right.
> and the lower layer handles only UTF-8.
It's up to the particular FS to decide whether it'll accept a given
filename. HFS+ requires UTF-8, UFS and NFS handle all byte sequences,
isofs... well, isofs is weird.
> (One of the two -- probably also HFS+ -- is also case insensitive.)
Indeed, HFS+ is case-preserving case-insensitive. Both UFS and NFS
are case-sensitive. But you won't notice the difference unless you
use the shell, as the GUI cleverly hides the case-sensitivity from you.
Note that all of the above is only about the *kernel*. It is quite
likely that the GUI libraries refuse to handle anything that's not
UTF-8. So your initial point still stands.
Juliusz
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