Brian K. White wrote:
And do we still cling to the notion that local content index and search is unnecessary??
And if you do, wait until you collect 5 GB of PDF, gzip-compressed PostScript and HTML documents, as I have...
The argument is that the way the math works out for me, with indexing, I suffer slowness 100% of the time in order to get a speed up 1% of the time.
That math is backwards to me, and it's far worse than merely 100 to 1 in reality.
I would rather have my machine as fast as possible 100% of the time, and have to go looking for something the hard way 1% of the time.
The rest of the time, ordinary organization will let me find a program or document immediately without having to rely on an indexing and search system.
If I have a library of documents or other too-large-for-that mass of data, then of course I place them in a library type application or database which has indexing and searching, but it rarely has to rebuild indexes and search constantly for random changes in the data. Whenever any data is added or changed, any relevant indexes are surgically updated the same way the database itself is with the payload data. By contrast a desktop indexer has to constantly search for all the random changes I may make to the directories within it's scope.
Reiser4 with built in indexing (or via module) may be the answer for that, allowing indexing without constant searching, compiling, colating and index rebuilding. The fs is in essence a db engine and it can maintain indexes the way db engines do.
Finally, even with desktop indexing, /usr/share/doc is not within anyones desktop or home directory, so presumably it wouldn't be indexed by these things _anyways_. Other possible scenarios, if these things are configured to index the entire filesystem / all filesystems, then that is automatically horrendous and wrong even if I could be convinced to tolerate them in a home directory. A user or a sysadmin might put anything anywhere and it's patently stupid to allow some indexer to try to search through gigs of irrelevant data. repeatedly. Not to mention merely accessing a file may screw up some other process that watches that files access time. If the indexers only search in a specific list of directories, whether all in their home or including some elsewhere like /usr/share, well if the user can be expected to administer the list of indexed directories, then they already know enough not even to need them. So the benefit is coming down to something like, "Well the user may not know the directories where docs are, but the package or distribution developers have preconfigured the list into the indexer", so by default we should all have our pc's run slow and our drives die sooner so that some user doesn't have to know a short list of likely places to look for docs? That is insane.
Brian, I agree 100%... with one proviso or quid pro quo: <quote> The older I get and with more of life stored as electronic information even with my (mind you, very good) 'ordinary organization', the LONGER 'looking for something the hard way 1% of the time' takes! </quote> I haven't found a usable, efficient or well written indexing system yet. However, I do see some interesting things on the horizon. There are a couple of document management systems (dms) being rewritten right not that might hold the key by combining strong lightweight directory indexing with cross-platform access to the stored information. Only time will tell. The one thing I am convinced of however is "the dreaded dog (beagle) type indexing ain't it." -- David C. Rankin, J.D., P.E. Rankin Law Firm, PLLC 510 Ochiltree Street Nacogdoches, Texas 75961 Telephone: (936) 715-9333 Facsimile: (936) 715-9339 www.rankinlawfirm.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org