System disk format

[Whitehill]

I'm getting a new Mac for some software development. More than likely it will arrive with the disk formatted as "case preserving but not case sensitive". This has bitten me more than once where one directory contains two files whose names are the same, ignoring case.

If I reformat the disk as "case sensitive" and reinstall MacOS, (1) will that work, and (2) if it works, are there any "gotchas" to be aware of later on?

[MisterMe]

Originally Posted by Whitehill

...

If I reformat the disk as "case sensitive" and reinstall MacOS, (1) will that work, and (2) if it works, are there any "gotchas" to be aware of later on?

Apple is not and did not provide an inoperable file system. That is not an issue. However, the MacOS has been case preserving, but not case sensitive since forever. The "gotcha" maybe that you may encounter files whose names assume this behavior. Unless you have a compelling reason to change the format of your hard drive, then I would stick with the one that shipped with the computer.

[Whitehill]

Originally Posted by MisterMe

Apple is not and did not provide an inoperable file system. That is not an issue. However, the MacOS has been case preserving, but not case sensitive since forever.

Instead of an editorial, a simple YES would suffice. The "however" part is ambiguous. Whatever MacOS was years ago, it now fully supports both disk formats, at least for non-system disks - I have one that is case-sensitive and it works fine.

The "gotcha" maybe that you may encounter files whose names assume this behavior. Unless you have a compelling reason to change the format of your hard drive, then I would stick with the one that shipped with the computer.

The compelling reason is that this aberrant behavior can be found in many GNU packages and can lead to build failures or, worse, run failures. I don't have time to pre-qualify everything and/or complain to the authors and wait for "fixes".

My question was: Can Apple's very operable OS be installed and used successfully on a disk formatted as case-sensitive?

[DeltaMac]

Originally Posted by Whitehill

...The compelling reason is that this aberrant behavior can be found in many GNU packages and can lead to build failures or, worse, run failures. I don't have time to pre-qualify everything and/or complain to the authors and wait for "fixes".

My question was: Can Apple's very operable OS be installed and used successfully on a disk formatted as case-sensitive?

Yes, but Apple still does not recommend that format for the OS. There are some apps that just don't like the case-sensitive file system. Adobe apps (like Photoshop) go bonkers on a case-sensitive. So, yes Apple provides that as an option, and, if the apps that you use do not complain, you will be fine.
As Mister Me mentioned, don't use file-sensitive unless you have a compelling reason for doing so (and it seems that you do!), but don't expect to completely avoid the need to 'pre-qualify everything and/or complain to the authors and wait for "fixes" '. Unfortunately, Apple does not have any feature in OS X to fix a poorly coded app, so you would have to rely on the developer to do that.

[Whitehill]

Thanks, DeltaMac. The new machine has 2 x 500 gb disks. I can repartition as necessary, perhaps a (small) case-insensitive one for the OS. Does Apple have anything to say about /Users ?

[DeltaMac]

Originally Posted by Whitehill

I can repartition as necessary, perhaps a (small) case-insensitive one for the OS. Does Apple have anything to say about /Users ?

Yes, sure, if your apps will handle it, that's fine.
What's the question about /Users ? The file system configuration that you use is up to you, as long as the OS supports it, and your apps support it properly, and you can put up with the occasional glitch. You do need to remember that case-sensitive is not the default for the Mac, and your system won't report when the problem is due to a glitchy app, or just one that doesn't like the case-sensitive stuff. Only you can decide if you want to have that challenge.
I suppose as Apple moves closer to ZFS, that case-sensitive will no longer be an issue.