Re: Version Control Software

From	Roy Smith <roy@panix.com>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Subject	Re: Version Control Software
Date	2013-06-16 09:50 -0400
Organization	PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC
Message-ID	<roy-47D4D9.09501916062013@news.panix.com> (permalink)
References	(6 earlier) <CAN8CLg=sN8oF6hxPNojF1nyfhw8HXAXr-unsy_wX_=ks6BvaGA@mail.gmail.com> <mailman.3359.1371275633.3114.python-list@python.org> <roy-DB7870.10161515062013@news.panix.com> <CAPTjJmreNJ0acuG=GAr186pMST7h5G6_Y1osz=Pj2L=DC6RyFw@mail.gmail.com> <mailman.3442.1371389433.3114.python-list@python.org>

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In article <mailman.3442.1371389433.3114.python-list@python.org>,
 Chris ﾒKwpolskaﾓ Warrick <kwpolska@gmail.com> wrote:

> (I’m using wc -c to count the bytes in all files there are.  du is
> unaccurate with files smaller than 4096 bytes.)

It's not that du is not accurate, it's that it's measuring something 
different.  It's measuring how much disk space the file is using.  For 
most files, that's the number of characters in the file rounded up to a 
full block.  For large files, I believe it also includes the overhead of 
indirect blocks or extent trees.  And, finally, for sparse files, it 
takes into account that some logical blocks in the file may not be 
mapped to any physical storage.

So, whether you want to use "du" or "wc -c" depends on what you're 
trying to measure.  If you want to know how much disk space you're 
using, du is the right tool.  If you want to know how much data will be 
transmitted if the file is serialized (i.e. packed in a tarball or sent 
via a "{hg,git} clone" operation), then "wc-c" is what you want.

All that being said, for the vast majority of cases (and I would be 
astonished if this was not true for any real-life vcs repo), the 
difference between what wc and du tell you is not worth worrying about.  
And du is going to be a heck of a lot faster.

Thread

Version Control Software cutems93 <ms2597@cornell.edu> - 2013-06-12 16:27 -0700
  Re: Version Control Software Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-06-12 16:36 -0700
  Re: Version Control Software Joel Goldstick <joel.goldstick@gmail.com> - 2013-06-12 19:52 -0400
  Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-13 10:04 +1000
  Re: Version Control Software Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2013-06-12 21:41 -0500
  Re: Version Control Software Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2013-06-13 12:30 +1000
    Re: Version Control Software rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-06-13 04:54 -0700
    Re: Version Control Software Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-06-13 17:06 +0000
      Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-14 07:26 +1000
        Re: Version Control Software Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-06-13 21:53 +0000
          Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-14 07:59 +1000
          Re: Version Control Software Zero Piraeus <schesis@gmail.com> - 2013-06-13 18:20 -0400
          Re: Version Control Software Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-06-13 20:09 -0400
      Re: Version Control Software Fábio Santos <fabiosantosart@gmail.com> - 2013-06-13 23:15 +0100
      Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-14 08:17 +1000
      Re: Version Control Software Benjamin Kaplan <benjamin.kaplan@case.edu> - 2013-06-13 15:24 -0700
      Re: Version Control Software Neil Hodgson <nhodgson@iinet.net.au> - 2013-06-14 08:53 +1000
  Re: Version Control Software Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2013-06-12 21:48 -0500
  Re: Version Control Software Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-06-12 22:51 -0400
    Re: Version Control Software Rui Maciel <rui.maciel@gmail.com> - 2013-06-13 13:43 +0100
  Re: Version Control Software cutems93 <ms2597@cornell.edu> - 2013-06-12 23:00 -0700
    Re: Version Control Software rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-06-12 23:43 -0700
    Re: Version Control Software Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-06-13 07:08 -0400
    Re: Version Control Software MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2013-06-13 12:26 +0100
      Re: Version Control Software rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-06-13 04:46 -0700
    Re: Version Control Software Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> - 2013-06-14 15:06 +0300
      Re: Version Control Software Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-06-14 08:32 -0400
        Re: Version Control Software Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-06-14 14:24 +0000
          Re: Version Control Software Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-06-14 16:55 -0400
          Re: Version Control Software Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2013-06-14 20:26 -0400
          Re: Version Control Software Tim Delaney <timothy.c.delaney@gmail.com> - 2013-06-15 15:39 +1000
          Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-15 15:53 +1000
            Re: Version Control Software Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-06-15 10:16 -0400
              Re: Version Control Software Giorgos Tzampanakis <giorgos.tzampanakis@gmail.com> - 2013-06-15 15:29 +0000
                Re: Version Control Software Dan Sommers <dan@tombstonezero.net> - 2013-06-15 18:29 +0000
                Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-16 09:01 +1000
                Re: Version Control Software Tim Delaney <timothy.c.delaney@gmail.com> - 2013-06-16 07:49 +1000
              Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-16 09:14 +1000
                Re: Version Control Software rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-06-15 20:55 -0700
                Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-16 14:13 +1000
                Re: Version Control Software Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-06-16 05:20 +0000
                Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-16 15:29 +1000
                Re: Version Control Software Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-06-16 05:15 -0400
                Re: Version Control Software Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-06-16 19:51 +1000
              Re: Version Control Software Chris “Kwpolska” Warrick <kwpolska@gmail.com> - 2013-06-16 15:30 +0200
                Re: Version Control Software Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-06-16 09:50 -0400
                Re: Version Control Software Lele Gaifax <lele@metapensiero.it> - 2013-06-16 17:48 +0200
                Re: Version Control Software Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-06-16 13:02 -0400
              Re: Version Control Software Jason Swails <jason.swails@gmail.com> - 2013-06-16 12:39 -0400
  Re: Version Control Software Serhiy Storchaka <storchaka@gmail.com> - 2013-06-13 10:20 +0300
  Re: Version Control Software Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2013-06-13 07:34 -0500
    Re: Version Control Software Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-06-13 08:52 -0400

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