9fans archive / 2000 / 08 / 3 /    prev next

From: "Russ Cox" <rsc@pla...>
Subject: Re: [9fans] Installing the updates
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 01:42:17 -0400

	A user could have the distribution source on a CDROM and view it via a
	cache file
	server. This would store only the files that have changed - using copy
	on write.
	I suspose this could be extended to storing only the blocks that have
	changed, or
	even file diff(1) output, or wrap(8) file even...
	
	I'am not sure if this is interesting or hedious :-)

I think it's interesting, at least until you
start talking about saving individual blocks
or diff output, at which point it gets complicated
enough to perhaps qualify as hideous.
Especially given that binaries don't change much.