Hello, I have a 64GB USB3.0 Flash Drive by SanDisk. I am mostly using it with Linux but sometimes I need it for Windows (at work) and Windows can't read it because it's formatted with some Linux FS. I could format it in NTFS to use it with both Windows and Linux but I hate Windows so I don't want to use their file system.
In other words is there some Linux or Microsoft-neutral file system that I can use that will allow me to use the Flash Drive with both Linux and Windows and will not result in performance/speed loss? I am willing to install some additional windows software that allows Windows to read linux file-systems if neccessary.
I don't think there's a good solution, because if I choose to use ext4 and some ext4 reader on Windows then this flash drive will only be usable on computers that have the ext4 reader so if I give it to a friend they will think it's corrupt etc. Damn it I hate when Microsoft wins.
It's just a flash drive, use what works, there isn't really another solution that won't require you to install and configure something on every PC you want to use.
Another interesting choice would be F2FS which is developed Samsung with main focus on NAND-based memory (other file systems are usually designed for HDDs). However it will only run on Linux and Android.
If you want to keep the cross-compatibility you are stuck with FAT32 unfortunately.
exFAT is proprietary and has software patents etc, same as NTFS iirc. exFAT is also poorly/not supported on Linux, and other devices can be hit-and-miss. FAT32 has an open specification, though, so open-source implementations exist. When using it on LInux, you're not running any proprietary code, and there are no restrictive licenses. If you can bear to use Windows at work, you can deal with using a format MS invented but doesn't control I think. If it makes you feel better, format your stick from Linux. Other formats also don't tend to work on devices like TVs, consoles, etc in my experience, so FAT32 is the best format across the board except for the filename/size limitations.
The exfat fuse driver is alright on linux. I use it all the time. Other than fat32 with the 4GB file size limit there is not much choice here unfortunately.