June 23, 2026
Raw-dogging the hard drive
F* file system – file search that reads SSD directly bypassing OS kernel
This wild search tool ignores the usual rules, and the comments are loving and roasting it
TLDR: A coder built a file search tool that reads storage directly instead of using the normal system path, and it can be surprisingly fast on huge file collections. The crowd’s reaction was peak internet: equal parts impressed, confused, and ready to roast the "bypasses the system" claim.
A tiny new project called F File System* has the internet doing that rare thing where people both mock a tool and fall in love with it at the same time. The basic idea is gloriously chaotic: instead of asking your computer nicely for files, it goes straight to the drive itself and searches the raw data. It can even poke around in disk image files like installer files without mounting them first. On giant collections of files, it can sometimes outrun regular search tools. On smaller jobs, though, it often loses. In other words: totally impractical, undeniably cool.
That contradiction is exactly what set off the comment section. The creator basically opened with, yes, this thing is "practically useless" but "insanely fun," and readers absolutely ran with that vibe. One of the funniest digs was that you need high-level system access for some uses, prompting jokes that even AI coding tools can’t help because they "can not run sudo command." Others immediately started nitpicking the bragging rights: does it really bypass the system, or just sidestep part of it? One commenter flatly called the title "Dumb", pointing out that drives are drives whether they’re solid-state, hard drives, or memory cards. Another went full philosopher, asking whether it can bypass the mysterious black-box magic inside the drive itself. And yes, someone had to bring up Windows Search for the ultimate comedy comparison. The result is peak internet tech drama: half flex, half stunt, all entertainment. For more, see the project discussion here.
Key Points
- •FFS is a command-line search tool that reads block devices directly and parses file-system structures itself instead of using normal kernel file reads.
- •The tool supports Ext4, Btrfs, and APFS, with separate implementation files for each file system.
- •FFS can search detached volumes such as .iso and .dmg files without mounting them.
- •The article warns that FFS can miss recent writes still held in kernel cache and may be unreliable on actively changing file systems.
- •Benchmark examples in the article show FFS slower than ripgrep on a smaller cached dataset but faster on larger datasets where page-cache benefits diminish.