Quote Originally Posted by losmurfs
Why are all Knoppix distros ISO9660? Isn't UDF better? There is no 2GB file size limit in UDF 2.01 (or ealier versions for that matter). If most systems can't boot off of UDF, then you can make a hybrid like DVD video discs, but unlike a DVD video disc, instead of the ISO and the UDF file systems containing references to the same files, the ISO would only reference the files necesary for booting and the rest of the files plus all the files referenced in the ISO system would be referenced in the UDF file system.
UDF is really specifically for DVDs, and it has a <1 GB limit. From UDF v2.00 Draft page 7:
"Extent Length: Maximum Extent Length shall be 2^30 - Logical Block Size."
and from page 104:
"The data of each file shall be recorded as a single extent. Each File Entry shall be recorded using the ICB Strategy Type 4."

UDF is a specific implementation of ISO/IEC 13346 (I think ECMA 167 may be equivalent) by the OSTA. Basically, the standard doesn't have enough details for implementation, so one must fill in the blanks appropriately, which is what the OSTA did in their own way to get UDF.

I gave up on UDF when I ran head first into CSS years back when I started the (now defunct?) linux-udf project. Thankfully that whole mess has been resolved by others (in the courts). So feel free to correct me if my info is dated.