GarUlbricht7@netscape.net wrote:

Sid Boyce wrote:

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John Andersen wrote:

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On Saturday 29 November 2003 14:06, Stephen W wrote:

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Users of the ext2 file system can probably do without d efrag, because ext2 contains extra code to keep fragmentation reduced

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So what avout Reiserfs? Does it do defragging too?

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Sid wrote a very nice reply reminding us that defrag: "..it's like taking ski gear on an African safari" and how Linux is not M$.

Sid's comments reminds me of that old joke which is sometimes attributed to Kevin Wilcox, namely:

"Windows - A thirty two bit extension and gui shell to a sixteen bit patch to an eight bit operating system originally coded for a four bit microprocessor and sold by a two bit company that can't stand one bit of competition."

Whereas, when I started many years ago running fortran and cobol programs on IBM 360, and "Unix" was still being developed at AT&T, I was very concerned about "how long" my program ran because I was charged by the second. (and I had a limited budget).

I would arrange data so program would go as fast as possible. When we were doing work on the Soil Data Bank in the '70's for Alyeska we had the some of the same worries, and would have programs which presorted the data, etc.to cut down run times.

However, "Defragging" of the disk or tape was notnever anissue, and to my small mind it has to do with how Unix / Linux uses it "swap space" and how it "delays writing to tape / disk, and thus how it runs the data in and out of memory and in and out of backup medium.

That's why Linux has "sync". I am sure M$ has a similar command, however, i don't remember what it is...

And I am sure people who understand files system better than I do are LOL at my simplistic reasoning.

Gar

Back in the 70's, I know how programmers who worked so hard to be so careful that their code fitted a particular space and would run as efficiently as possible. There were lots of concerns then that hardly ever get a mention now, apart from complaints about how long it takes to wind in OpenOffice.org and a few others. People approach using Linux with what they've known previously - a certain mindset that will be remodelled in a short time and I'm sure they'll get there. None can be as embarrassing as what I call "the class of '98", those guys asked how to create an autoexec.bat file under Linux, where is config.sys etc. - I hadn't seen those type of questions from 1991 -1997 or 1999 - 2003, now they are fully fledged Linux experts. Apologies to those particular guys who came to Linux in 1998 for reminding them. I blushed every time I read one of those posts, but treated them gently. Regards Sid. -- Sid Boyce .... Linux Only Shop.