So how about extending the API just a tad... leave the old file size
stuff as is for all the apps that want it, and add another function to
return the total size. Opentracker could use the new total size, or
even have a config option to choose what you want. Apps could choose
whatever method fits. (Implimentation of such is left to those who know
what they are talking about.)
And I may just be crazy, but it occurs to me that file types should
refer to the specific collection and interpretation of attributes,
rather than one main data chunk. Pretty much all file types require
some kind of meta-data and organization - what is to keep this from
being done with attributes? (besides speed, complexity, ect...)
ID3 tags on mp3s are a good example of this. Stick the sound data in
one (probably main) attribute, then the name, artist, date, etc in
others. Conversion from flat file to attributed would be a simple task.
File types that are better represented as one stream would be defined
as such, but others gain much in organization.
Basically I believe the attributes are horribly under used, and many
grand things can be done with them when the OS actually acknowledges
them (rip on NT, not BeOS ;) There is great potential here.
-Jer
