How do I choose between ext 3 and 4?

Question

I tried looking at the difference, the main ones seem to be 4 supports more subdirectories in a file, supports larger files, has delayed write which I don't prefer as I don't want data loss. I also see timestamps are more accurate but it also mentions there is no support in glibc so no apps would use it. Also I just need it ot be as accurate as NTFS, I don't need anything more accurate.

I'm thinking I should go with ext3 because its more likely to be more stable. What should I look at when choosing between the two?

Answer 1

These days ext4 is considered the stable standard, and you should use it. Also all filesystems use delayed writing, ext4 just delays allocating where the blocks go until they are actually written, which helps reduce fragmentation. It also uses extents to track the blocks, which makes it more efficient.