Sigh. For the ultimate performance gain, for small files
(with size less than some threshold), surely it is best to store the
data of the file directly in the inode. In some ways, this parallels
the decision on whether to store a symbolic link in the inode or in a
separate data block.
Per a different discussion thread on this mailing list, when
files are singly linked into directories which are a certain size
relative to system memory, and for some set of application file access
statistics, surely the best thing to do is to store the inode into the
directory. In other cases, of course, it's a real loser.
Thus, there probably exist circumstances in which the best
thing to do is to store the inode and the file data both directly in
the directory. I'd hate to have to fix one that got clobbered,
though.
Craig Milo Rogers