Re: How to make Packages file 50% smaller

[Alexander Hvostov <vulture@aoi.dyndns.org>]

On Fri, 2 Mar 2001, Joey Hess wrote:

> Alexander Hvostov wrote:
> > I suggest splitting off each description into a separate file, like Brian
> > suggests, and then having dselect et al download descriptions on
> > demand. That's almost as fast and helps everyone.
> 
> Good greif. Some of us upgrade offline. *Many* of us have high latency
> or low bandwidth connections. I'd rather have a large wait at the start
> than turn every tool that uses extended descriptions into a crawling
> nighmare.

I have a connection that falls in both categories (33.6 modem). I should
know. I meant `on demand' as in pressing a key to fetch the extended
description. A nice, fast httpd should make this reasonably fast, even for
people like me.

Of course, an _experimental_ implementation of such a thing could be done
if there are disagreements as to how fast/slow this will be.

As for upgrading offline, who says you can't have a Packages file _with_
the descriptions as well?

(Why the hell does anyone upgrade offline, anyway? ;)

> -- 
> see shy jo

Regards,

Alex.