Re: HardPressed

[fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)]

In article <C96sx5.3Jz@wave.scar.utoronto.ca> 90taobri@wave.scar.utoronto.ca writes:
>                                              Rather than storing it in
>a file, can you store that information in the first data block of a
>compressed file?  HP can then read it straight off without having to
>uncompress it.  The HardPressed.Data method is still probably the
>fastest way though...

Well, right now the data DOES live in the first data block of each file.  I
don't think I can just pick one at random and stuff all of the info in there;
how would you find it?  Perhaps it could go in the first compressed file in
the directory, but then if somebody sorted the directoy stuff would get all
bent out of shape, etc.

A separate .data file is the easiest to deal with, both for the programmer
and for the user.  A per-volume data file would be difficult to work with
and would get confused when you renamed stuff.

Another question that arises with this stuff is when to create them, and
where.  Does every folder get one?  Folders with > 10 files?  Should the
user be able to select which folders get them?  Should they be updated
automatically, or should the user have to manually select the folder after
the stuff inside gets modified?  (and so on...)

-- 
fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
[ Above opinions are mine, Amdahl has nothing to do with them, etc, etc. ]