#They work.
…At least with Ext2/3/4. However, it should me mentioned you cannot make links from any FAT partition, as this feature doesn’t exist. But it’s nice to know I can make links to a FAT partition so i can have a setup which can be usable for all operating systems when manipulating files.
###But why does this matter to you?
I was previously under the idea I could not make links to any FAT partition because I cannot make links from them. However, for a mobile, do-anything -go-anywhere -whatever-happens setup, a FAT partition for general file storage in a setup with a small system partition and even smaller home partition is possible. So here’s the ideal setup for a flash drive you may end up plugging into an Android device for later manipulation; (assuming the device is serial disk A):
sda1(Ext4) sda2(ext4) sda3(ExFAT)
Literally, this. While Ubuntu MATE might not fit comfortably on ~12GB (it came out to a bit less on my device, as they always do), smaller systems like Lubuntu or Xubuntu might fit better in such instances.
###Making it work
So here’s my setup on a 32GB drive;
For /, ~12GB
For /home, 4GB
For common storage, ~16GB
I make my links like I do on my setups which use NTFS, use a swapfile and I’m off to the races. For on-the-go stuff this setup is ideal as it means you can boot into your system and do much of whatever you want, then plug your device into your phone to do further work with Android (should your device support OTG), then if you need to use another machine for any reason you can access your files in Windows. It’s great.
Now all Android needs to do is accept other file formats (including Ext4, since it’s a Linux system after all) and everything will be better for everyone.