TB - Sort add-on

[Cameron Simpson]

On 06Jul2015 10:18, Gordon Messmer <gordon.messmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>On 07/06/2015 09:46 AM, jd1008 wrote:
>>Add to this is that the entire mozilla libraries are still
>>using 32 bit file size limits!
>>Just tried it by catenating many folders into a single folder
>>exceeding 4GB (11.8 GB, to be exact).
>
>Yes, and Maildir is the intended solution to that limit, because 
>compacting mbox files is an expensive operation,

Maildir is really a solution to lockless parallel mail folder access. It does 
store things as inidivdual messages, one per file, and I use it in my larger 
more active mail folders. My less active folders (receiving filed email, but 
accessed in frequently) are mboxen: it is more compact and cheaper to in 
storage and filesystems.

>and incremental backup of mbox files is difficult or impossible depending on 
>your backup software. [...]

In my world mboxen are easier to back up in some ways, more expensive in 
others.  I backup with rsync and date stampted hardlinked backup trees: 
unchanges files get hardlinked to the next tree. In this scheme a Maildir only 
makes new files for the new messages, which is a win in storage. But a larger 
maildir is very slow to scan, especially on a physical disc. By comparison, an 
mbox makes a whole new copy of the mbox if it gets changed, but it is very 
cheaper to scan (one file).

I'm still amazed that TB doesn't let you use Maildirs; they're hardly 
difficult.

Cheers,
Cameron Simpson <cs at zip.com.au>

My life is a never ending battle for the forces of good.
Unfortunately, unlike many other crusaders for righteousness, in my
system of morality, the right thing to do is very often to sit around
reading the paper or watching TV.       - Tim_Mefford <tim at physics.orst.edu>