The C language convention counts array indices from 0. Why do inode numbers start from 1 and not 0?
If inode 0 is reserved is for some special use, then what is the significance of inode 0?
Usually, the inode 0 is reserved because a return value of 0 usually signals an error. Multiple method in the Linux kernel -- especially in the VFS layer shared by all file systems -- return an ino_t, e.g. find_inode_number.
There are more reserved inode numbers. For example in ext2:
#define EXT2_BAD_INO 1 /* Bad blocks inode */
#define EXT2_ROOT_INO 2 /* Root inode */
#define EXT2_BOOT_LOADER_INO 5 /* Boot loader inode */
#define EXT2_UNDEL_DIR_INO 6 /* Undelete directory inode */
and ext3 has:
#define EXT3_BAD_INO 1 /* Bad blocks inode */
#define EXT3_ROOT_INO 2 /* Root inode */
#define EXT3_BOOT_LOADER_INO 5 /* Boot loader inode */
#define EXT3_UNDEL_DIR_INO 6 /* Undelete directory inode */
#define EXT3_RESIZE_INO 7 /* Reserved group descriptors inode */
#define EXT3_JOURNAL_INO 8 /* Journal inode */
and ext4 has:
#define EXT4_BAD_INO 1 /* Bad blocks inode */
#define EXT4_ROOT_INO 2 /* Root inode */
#define EXT4_USR_QUOTA_INO 3 /* User quota inode */
#define EXT4_GRP_QUOTA_INO 4 /* Group quota inode */
#define EXT4_BOOT_LOADER_INO 5 /* Boot loader inode */
#define EXT4_UNDEL_DIR_INO 6 /* Undelete directory inode */
#define EXT4_RESIZE_INO 7 /* Reserved group descriptors inode */
#define EXT4_JOURNAL_INO 8 /* Journal inode */
Other fileystems use the ino 1 as root inode number. In general, a file system is free to choose its inode numbers and its reserved ino values (with the exception of 0).