[Python-Dev] Re: Another approach for the import mechanism
Bob Kline
bkline@rksystems.com
Mon, 9 Dec 2002 09:33:56 -0500 (EST)
On Mon, 9 Dec 2002, Chermside, Michael wrote:
> I think this proposal would make sense IF compression were an
> important goal here. But to me, it isn't. Zip does two things... it
> aggregates into a single file (maintaining directory structure) and
> it compresses. Of the two, I find the aggregation important and the
> compression a mere side effect.
Our *three* chief weapons are .... Oops, wrong show.
Zip (and tar + bzip2/gzip) provide at least three services:
1. aggregation
2. compression
3. integrity validation (CRC, etc.)
I'm leaving off encryption, so someone else can continue with the SI
gag.
Some do a better job than others at letting you get to the rest of the
archive if one spot is corrupted.
> Basically, disk space is cheap ...
True in many contexts, but not all. And the differences in compression
ratios between zip and bzipped tar can be surprisingly significant.
--
Bob Kline
mailto:bkline@rksystems.com
http://www.rksystems.com