[X4U] Re: Defragmentation, was Cause of kernel panics

[Keith Whaley]

Your analysis confuses me, Don.

Fragmentation of files is a fact, not a figment of someone's imagination.
Another fact is, the smaller the drive, the greater the possibility that 
fragmentation will become problematic, simply because the storeroom gets 
cluttered up more easily.
Buying a warehouse to provide more storage space only postpones the 
inevitable, doesn't it. Eventually, if nothing changes in  how you 
operate your particular setup, the larger storage space will eventually 
become - comparatively speaking - as filled up with a jumble of 
fragments of files and such as the smaller drive was. Just takes longer. No?

In other words, getting a bigger trash can is one approach, the other is 
to not generate as much trash.
Or, a third approach might be to separate the trash into incinerator, 
green waste, recyclable and junk, and deal with them appropriately, as 
many cities do today...
It seems OSX does a similar thing, in it's own way, as it sort of does 
it's own brand/style of defragging, sweeping up and rearranging and 
doesn't need outside help, if I understood what I read about that.

Anyhow, if you're really a power user, seems to me a larger hard drive 
is just postponing the inevitable. It is not a cure.
The problem might go away for a long time, but it's only a postponement. 
What happens when the new drive is finally as unusable as the smaller 
drive? Start over?

Just my humble thoughts on defragmentation.
MY hard drives _always_ used to run more crisply (yes, a non-computer 
term, I know...) after defragging.
Of course, that was System 8 and prior.

keith whaley

PoolMouse wrote:

> Randy B.Singer <randy at macattorney.com> wrote:
> 
>>> FIne, but the better fix is to either make more room or get
>>> a larger drive.

>> Making room by itself may not fix the fragmentation problem.

> neither will purchasing a defrag utility. ;) get a bigger drive and move 
> on to the bigger issues. the only person benefiting from "defragging" is 
> the vendor (micromat, etc.) and the consultants who convince their 
> clients they need it.
> 
> sorry, despite the micromat tech's ramblings, snake oil will not cure 
> the disease. getting a larger drive will.
> 
> don montalvo, nyc