HPFS is the latest file-system driver for the Linux kernel facing possible removal. The High Performance File-System (HPFS) was developed by IBM and Microsoft for OS/2.

Following the BFS removal in Linux 7.4 as the old UnixWare file-system for boot partitions, HPFS is now on deck for possible removal from the mainline Linux kernel. HPFS development began nearly 40 years ago for OS/2 and hasn't really been relevant for many years.

The HPFS Linux driver has been orphaned and unmaintained for quite a while with no active users believed.

As with other areas of the kernel seldom seeing maintenance and improvements, the burden has increased in the world of AI agents scouring every bit of the source tree.

This patch on the Linux kernel mailing list removes all 6,969 lines of the HPFS file-system code from the kernel. We'll see if it gets picked up for Linux v7.5 or how the HPFS story ends on Linux.