HFStiedostojärjestelmiä

HFStiedostojärjestelmiä, often abbreviated as HFS, refers to the Hierarchical File System developed by Apple Inc. It was first introduced in 1985 with the Macintosh computer and served as the primary file system for macOS for many years. HFS was designed to be a more sophisticated and user-friendly file system compared to its predecessors, offering features like support for long file names, resource forks for storing metadata, and a hierarchical directory structure.

Over time, HFS evolved into HFS+, also known as Mac OS Extended. This enhanced version, introduced in 1998, brought significant improvements such as larger file sizes, support for Unicode, journaling for enhanced data integrity, and improved performance. Journaling allows the file system to recover more quickly and reliably from power outages or system crashes. HFS+ became the default file system for Macs for over two decades.

While HFS and HFS+ were foundational to the Apple ecosystem, Apple has since transitioned to APFS (Apple File System) as its modern file system for all its operating systems, including macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. APFS offers advanced features like space sharing, snapshots, strong encryption, and improved performance, especially on solid-state drives. However, HFS and HFS+ remain relevant for compatibility with older systems and data storage on some legacy devices.