[G4] defraging a Mac

[sr ferenczy]

On Apr 4, 2004, at 12:23 PM, Alex wrote:

>
> On Sunday, Apr 4, 2004, at 09:59 Canada/Eastern, sr ferenczy wrote:
>
>> [...] i cant say whether files and their (up to 4) forks [...]
>
>   "[...] In Macintosh system software, a _file_ is a named, ordered 
> sequence of
>    bytes stored on a volume and divided into two forks, the data fork 
> and
>    the resource fork. [...]" From "Inside Macintosh: Files".
>
> Two, not four or three.
>


actually, i WAS wrong... no specific number, but since os 9.1, apple 
has allowed "more than 2 forks"
http://www.speedtools.com/Users%20Guides/Disk%20Defrag%20Guide.pdf
page7


>> [...] i do know that many os x defragging tools do NOT worry about 
>> keeping individual forks contiguous with the entire file, rather they 
>> only keep forks contiguous with themselves.
>
> That's a new one for me -- but I'm always keen to learn new stuff. 
> Could you provide more details?
>

http://www.speedtools.com/Users%20Guides/Disk%20Defrag%20Guide.pdf

page  8

>> [...] in the same way hfs+ had big issues when it came on the scene 
>> for macs, but with its current state on 10.3, it even self-defrags 
>> files up to 25? KB.... much better than any other desktop option out 
>> there.
>
> Yes, Panther does adaptive hot file clustering (cool!). But can you 
> answer me this. Is HFS+, as implemented under Panther, the first 
> desktop OS to do this type of clustering? Is its algorithm superior to 
> other FSs which do adaptive clustering? And on what criteria did you 
> decide HFS+ is better than, say, ext3 or ReiserFS?
>

i was speaking desktop - basically windows and macintosh - consumer 
machines, which for the most part now all run HFS+, NTFS AND FAT32 - 
probably a few fat16 . i know very few (in fact none) consumer types 
who run linux.


> But this whole discussion is about a bogus issue, driven chiefly by 
> the "mine is bigger than yours" syndrome. (Or perhaps not bogus, but 
> certainly of interest chiefly to geeks who eat OS specs for 
> breakfast.) It's not the file system that really counts, it's a 
> combination of features, FS included.
>

nah, its about trying to get the highest performance out of the 
machines we have without having to splurge for a brand spanking new 
machine. its also about trying to maintain a very useful knowledge 
about the working of software i use daily (and kind of like my '71 
motor scooter i commute on, i know enough to keep it running well, and 
more than enough to make me dangerous..


> So what if HFS+ is inferior to, say, ReiserFS (assuming there are 
> truly objective criteria that would allow us to make such a 
> determination). Would that mean Linux is a better choice for you than 
> Mac OS X? Not every feature of Mac OS X is superior to comparable 
> features on competitive platforms (Windows and Linux), and Mac OS X 
> isn't a better choice in every circumstance or for every user. (Only a 
> basic inner insecurity drives certain fellows to proclaim otherwise.) 
> But it provides a combination of features which make it an excellent 
> choice in many circumstance. It's the best OS for my needs (though, 
> for instance, not for my wife's), and, presumably, for the needs of 
> everybody else on this list -- so can we move on now?
>
> (I take the liberty to suggest, for HFS+ details, Apple Tech Note 
> TN1150, updated last month to include Panther implementation 
> <http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn1150.html>, and, for a 
> balanced and intelligent perspective on OS X -- IMHO, of course -- 
> Amit Singh's article "What Is Mac OS X?" at 
> <http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/osx/>. Try reading at least the 
> conclusion.)
>

read it previously and thought it great. im not arguing the application 
of the right product to the right job, simply pointing out what appear 
to be erroneous/misleading statements.

> f
>
>

yes, i got most of my information from one source, but trust software 
developers as big as intech to know what they are doing. i know nothing 
about software development besides what i garnered from 4 years of 
computer science and microelectronics engineering major college 
roommates... im simply an somewhat intuitive, though very spacey, 
artist who most likely was/will be a mechanical engineer in another 
life....

sandor