The BFS file system, used by SCO UnixWare for its boot partition, is being removed from the mainline Linux kernel in version 7.4. The removal is part of an effort to eliminate obsolete and rarely used file systems and reduce maintenance burdens.
Ethan Nelson-Moore, the author of the removal patch, argued that "One less old file-system in the kernel tree to worry about." He further explained that BFS supports only contiguous files and no subdirectories, and given its limited use—primarily for kernels and bootloader settings—there is little reason for Linux users to access it. Nelson-Moore also noted the driver is small and unlikely to cause future maintenance problems, but the removal is still recommended.
This removal follows the deletion of EFS and FreeVxFS in Linux 7.3, also due to obsolescence and infrequent use. The changes are occurring alongside new guidelines for accepting file systems into the Linux kernel, aiming to decrease the number of poorly maintained or unused file systems within the kernel tree. Nelson-Moore stated, "BFS (not to be confused with BeFS, the BeOS filesystem) is the filesystem UnixWare uses for its boot partition…Retain the UAPI header to be safe."
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