Downloading updates
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Downloading updates
18-02-2012 2:41 PM
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By doing this could I end up with an OS that becomes bloated with stuff like Windows and end up with a machine that becomes slower and more prone to crashes.
Must admit nothing has crashed so far but boot up times appear slower ?
Re: Downloading updates
18-02-2012 5:03 PM
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Anyway, it's not like Windows, you don't end up with loads of old backup copies of .dll files, nor do you have a system like WinSxS that keeps numerous different versions of .dll files.
Any operating system can become bloated if you install lots of things you don't use. Windows updates don't make your machine slower or more prone to crashes. Well, any update for any OS could be more broken than what it replaced, and could make things crash.
Probably one of the reasons the ext4 filesystem was developed was so that Linux users can defrag it.
Re: Downloading updates
19-02-2012 4:56 PM
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Your final sentence about defragging is interesting, I use Bleachbit is that the same thing or is there a sepcific program you would recommend to defrag Linux ?
Re: Downloading updates
19-02-2012 7:16 PM
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Re: Downloading updates
19-02-2012 8:03 PM
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I keep both distros fully updated regularly . That doesn't mean I install everything available, just update what I have.
I've being doing this for years with no problem: it doesn't cause "bloat" or slow running.
I've always understood that the Linux file system (ext3/4) is so much more efficient than Windows NTFS that it doesn't need, or even benefit much, from defragging.
I like this explanation:
http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/items/defragment/index.php?lang=
"The more you use Windows, the slower it is to access files ; the more you use Linux, the faster it is. The choice is up to you!"
Re: Downloading updates
19-02-2012 8:35 PM
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The defrag comment was a half joke, but if the Linux ext4 filesystem is so superior, why then was an e4defrag command added?
The filefrag command has been around for longer, let's see what it says about various files:
[tt]$ filefrag /usr/lib64/xulrunner-2/libxul.so
/usr/lib64/xulrunner-2/libxul.so: 8 extents found, perfection would be 1 extent
$ filefrag /var/lib/rpm/Packages
/var/lib/rpm/Packages: 31 extents found, perfection would be 1 extent
$ filefrag /home/ejs/.mozilla/firefox/XXXXXXXX.default/places.sqlite
/home/ejs/.mozilla/firefox/XXXXXXXX.default/places.sqlite: 542 extents found, perfection would be 1 extent[/tt]
If I'm reading that correctly, my firefox places.sqlite has ended up fragmented into 542 pieces.
Re: Downloading updates
19-02-2012 10:20 PM
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Since ext4 was designed for really big systems, it seems likely that some kind of reporting / modification software would be quite useful.
e.g. What would be the effect of running lots of Windows VM's on a ext4 file system.
BTW A certain amount of fragmentation is a good thing if it allows files to be extended into an area (possibly physically close) which can be accessed quickly.
"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."
Re: Downloading updates
19-02-2012 10:49 PM
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Quote from: A Since ext4 was designed for really big systems, it seems likely that some kind of reporting / modification software would be quite useful.
The filefrag command predates ext4.
Quote from: A BTW A certain amount of fragmentation is a good thing if it allows files to be extended into an area (possibly physically close) which can be accessed quickly.
So, fragmentation to reduce, err, fragmentation? Well yes, leaving free space between files can reduce file fragmentation.
Re: Downloading updates
20-02-2012 1:30 AM
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The clue is in the name.
"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."
Re: Downloading updates
20-02-2012 8:51 AM
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Quote from: ejs So, fragmentation to reduce, err, fragmentation? Well yes, leaving free space between files can reduce file fragmentation.
The concept of file extents comes from mainframe operating systems. It is a mechanism for pre-allocating a block of contiguous disc space for a file, so that fragmentation does not occur when appending new data. If a file has more than one extent it could be deemed to be fragmented, but usually extents are so big, the benefit of having large blocks of contiguous data within an extent far out-weighs the minor performance hit to the operating system of having to cope with switching between extents when accessing a file.
On big boys' operating systems you have a lot of control over how the extents are allocated and can usually set the sizes, numbers and disc locations of permitted extents on a per file basis, which allows the disc layout of a particular file to be optimised for the applications that use it. The idea of extents offers other benefits too. Pre-allocating extents can guarantee that file will always have disc space to write into. Very large data-sets can be backed up more easily by copying files one extent at a time. Or a file's extents can be stored across several discs in a controlled and predictable way.
Re: Downloading updates
23-02-2012 11:53 AM
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