Kevin Bowen <kevin@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
[...]
So, for instance, if I want to grab all mp3s with Artist "Paul Oakenfold" and change the genre to "techno" (can you do that?), I can use Beagle's search tool to find all mp3s by Oakenfold, but to change the genre, I have to use some separate tool to manipulate id3 tags,
Yes, this is basically what I was getting at, although I was thinking
more in terms of the reiser5/6/whatever set theoretic semantics, which,
from my point of view at least, reiser4 is simply the first step towards
building the enabling infrastructure of. But the fact that reiser4
semantics + trivial shell scripting enables, as illustrated by David,
the rough equivalent of set-theoretic semantics, demonstrates how
reiser4 is in fact a step in this direction.
I don't see any "trivial shell scripting", just need for a plethora of
magic extract-this-or-that-metadata programs. Which can very well work
exactly the same on independent files, no need to shove junk /into/ the
indexed files.
moment the case of system-wide or network-wide shared data,
I.e., something like 90% of the use of Linux here. OK.
users needs. In fact, I believe there is currently a JSR in progress to develop a more sophisticated Java packaging model.
Presumably based on ReiserFS 4, which then has to be ported to whatever platform you want to run Java on ASAP? Great for you! Wait a
bit, and you'll get what you want then, even across the board!
No, obviously that's not what I was saying. But the need for these kinds
of domain-specific packaging/metadata formats, each requiring their own
tools to work with, would be alleviated if there were simply a more
powerful filesystem semantic.
*Please explain HOW*!! The domain-specific formats /will/ stay (if nothing
else, because the /domains/ have /specific/ needs), the special tools to
work with them /will/ have to be written exactly the same (because of the
above). All for use on /one/ non-standard filesystem.
Plus exactly the same
stuff to work on sane filesystems.
So-called 'database-filesystems' ARE coming, whether from
Microsoft, Apple, or us.
IBM did it, long ago (AS/400 and OS/400 ring a bell?). And is now slowly
moving away from it (and other structured filesystems), AFAICS, towards
(guess what!) POSIX and Linux...
Again, Linux is what it is today in large part because "We have to get
$FEATURE, because if not, $COMPETITOR will win on us!" arguments have no
traction.