[Info-vax] Re; Spiralog, RMS Journaling (was Re: FREESPADRIFT)

[VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG]

In article <nkherb$71o$1 at Iltempo.Update.UU.SE>, Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> writes:
>On 2016-06-23 21:27, VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:
>> In article <nkhctd$2us$1 at Iltempo.Update.UU.SE>, Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> writes:
>>> On 2016-06-23 19:05, VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:
>>>> HP Alliance One distributes PAKs as a text file that is stream (chock full
>>>> of <CR>s and <LF>s).  I'm supposed to execute this to install the Alliance
>>>> One PAKs.  Some people (on VMS) find this a nuisance because of the <CR>s
>>>> and <LF>s littering the data (because it's delivered via HTTP from HP's A1
>>>> web site) cause DCL to complain.  I simply change the file's attributes to
>>>> RFM=STM and all's well.  You, too, could convert your files to RFM=STM and
>>>> then, your prayers have been answered.  What YOU want to transmit via HTTP
>>>> is all right there in the file and you should be able to compute the file
>>>> size as well.  But, it's so much easier to fault VMS, its file system, and
>>>> RMS because it's not understood.
>>>
>>> Sorry, but that is not the correct answer.
>>
>> Why not?
>
>Converting is also reading it once, and then reading it again. Same as 
>just figuring out the size by reading it.

No.  Because you asked about serving the file again and again.  The convert 
to RFM=STM is only once.  FYI, it's what you're doing if you are serving up
a RFM=VAR file with your web server again and again and again.  You would be
synthesizing the <CR>s and <LF>s over and over each access.



>You only even get a potential gain from this, if you then cache either 
>the converted file, or the figured out size (I would actually just cache 
>the figured out size, since that takes way less memory.)

How do you get the size on unix?  stat()?  Why can't you or won't you do the
equivalent on VMS?



>Not to mention that converting everything to stream files is not always 
>what I want. Not to mention the issues with keeping track of, and 
>maintaining duplicates of files, and the amount of extra disk space this 
>might take. As mentioned in another response...

If you want to serve a VMS file as a stream file, then why not maintain it
as a stream file.  You've being argumentative for argument sake.  There's
a way to get the file size in bytes but it'll be the real file's size and
that'll depend on the file format(s).  A RFM=VAR, RFM=VFC, and RFM=STM can
maintain all of the same *record* data but they will not necessarily have
the same number of bytes in their files.  But, hey, I gave you the answer,
but you don't or refuse to hear it.  Take a little time to learn about RMS
file and record formats.  If that's too much, put your HTTP server over on
*ix where you'll be happy.

-- 
VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker    VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)ORG

I speak to machines with the voice of humanity.