Re: Binary Deb 'Diffs'
*- On 16 Sep, Jordan Mendelson wrote about "Binary Deb 'Diffs'"
>
> Just a quick idea, instead of having to download an entire package where 95%
> of the files don't change, what about downloading a type of binary diff? I can
> think of two ways to do it:
>
> 1) Package everything in a type of 'pdeb' (patch deb). It should contain
> reconfiguration information, and files which have changed since version
> locally installed
>
> 2) Package everything in a 'pdeb' w/ real binary diff. Instead of packaging
> entire files which have changed, package patches. This would require a system
> which logged changes in order to work correctly, similar to CVS.
>
> Both of these would need to include a checksum per file. Optimally it would
> require that the storage of deb's on HTTP and FTP servers change as well,
> requiring the files to be unpacked so apt can grab a single file from a .deb.
>
> Then again, if it was done this way you could install partial packages, it's
> not like anyone uses every single executable which comes with the X packages..
>
> I don't know, I figured it might be a way to save bandwidth & disk space.
>
This was discussed in Oct '98 on this list. See the thread start at
http://www.debian.org/Lists-Archives/debian-devel-9811/threads.html#00988.
There was also some alpha code created for this process but it doesn't
look like there has been any activity since Dec '98. See
http://www.stud.tu-muenchen.de/~kai.duebbert for more info on the
software.
--
Brian
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