Re: [OT] maildir
>>>>> "Michelle" == Michelle Konzack <linux4michelle@freenet.de> writes:
>> > inefficient at storing large number of very small files (due
>> to block > size limitations of file system), and more
>> complicated to > transfer/move/share.
Michelle> What is complicate ? You need only the right
Michelle> programs...
Perhaps I should elaborate on this point.
If I want to allow people to download a mbox folder (consider mailing
list archive), all I do is put in under a HTTP accessible
directory. People only need to download one file, and IIRC, there is a
standard (or defacto standard) MIME type for mbox files. I believe a
browser will automatically start mutt. In fact, I believe this will
work even if the file is gzipped.
Now take Maildirs... Sure, I could tar.gz the entire directory, but
this means the recipient must manually untar it before accessing it.
I don't believe there is a standard MIME type to distinguish these
files either. As far as your browser is concerned, it isn't "Maildir"
format, it is "gzipped tar format".
Also, all mailing list software I have seen so far exclusively uses
mbox files.
Sure, these are implementation issues that could be solved, but
currently mbox wins.
--
Brian May <bam@debian.org>
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