On 2021-03-13 02:14, Stephen C. Camidge wrote:
I am moving my data from Mac OS to Linux Manjaro.… …the Mac creates invisible '._*' files for each datafile…
FYI, these "._*" files are metadata companions to other files in the same directory. If you have a file "._mybook.gnucash" (to invent an example), you probably have a file "mybook.gnucash" in the same directory.
This pair of files recreates a capability that Mac and other filesystems have: to store metadata along with the data of a file. For introductions, see: /Why are dot underscore ._ files created, and how can I avoid them?/ <https://apple.stackexchange.com/q/14980/17600 <https://apple.stackexchange.com/q/14980/17600>>, and /Resource fork, //Compatibility problems/ <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_fork#Compatibility_problems <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_fork#Compatibility_problems>> for introductions.
It's probably more correct to think of your non-Mac system as creating these files. Did you publish your Linux file system to the Mac using NetATalk or Samba, and then use the Mac Finder to copy the files from the Mac file system to that published file system? If so, then NetATalk or Samba told the Mac it supported storing metadata, when the underlying Linux file system did not have a way of storing metadata. Thus perhaps NetATalk or Samba created these "._*" files as a workaround for storing the file metadata.
My understanding is that Linux file systems can actually store file metadata in the form of "extended attributes". But also, I believe that most Linux apps don't use file metadata. Thus you might be safe to delete all the ._* files. Other replies in this thread, and the Apple.Stackexchange.com article above, have offered ways to delete the files if you don't want them.
Best regards, —Jim DeLaHunt _______________________________________________ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. ----- Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
