If Gentoo can die off, ReiserFS is doomed (was Re: Reiser FS or ext3?)

[Leo Mauler]

--- On Sun, 9/28/08, Monty J. Harder <mjharder at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 11:58 AM, Leo Mauler
> <webgiant at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> > Reformatting a ReiserFS filesystem can sometimes
> > result in data files from the previous contents 
> > reappearing on the now allegedly-wiped hard drive, 
> > a detail which folks interested in tax breaks for
> > donating old machines, while simultaneously 
> > protecting their corporate secrets, would be 
> > dismayed to learn.
> 
> Anyone who thinks that "reformatting a filesystem" 
> is the same thing as "wiping a hard drive" doesn't 
> understand the meanings of the words "reformatting", 
> "wiping", or "filesystem' for that matter.

Sorry, bad choice of words there, I do know what wiping means.

Actually, anyone who thinks that completely wiping a drive can be done with software is sorely mistaken.  A friend of mine who, shall we say, did some "shady computer things" back in the 1980s, had an external hard drive (long before home computers had external hard drives, this was a homemade model) which was conveniently placed between two powerful electromagnets.  Should anyone choose to come into his home to, shall we say, "inquire about his shady computer things", he could simply press a Big Red Button (his happened to be big and red) and completely wipe his hard drive.

There are government labs with the technology to go through a "software-wiped" drive and piece together some of what was previously on said "wiped" drive, but not drives which were "hardware-wiped".  I wouldn't doubt that there are independent labs (such as in corporate secrets espionage) with the same level of technology.

I suppose ideally companies should buy brand new hard drives for their donated computers and run the old ones over with a steamroller.