Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Archive metadata

[Tom Lord]

    > From: David Allouche <address@hidden>

    > That's an interesting design discussion, and I think it is indeed time
    > to start it.

    > == Design ==

    > So far, I know of two approaches to metadata storage:

    >   1. archive-metadata--<feature> branches, in the usual archive
    >      namespace

    >   2. =metadata/category/branch/version directories

    > The latter was mentionend by jblack on #arch. I have not yet thought out
    > the respective pros and cons of these storage solution. My intuitively
    > preferred solution is the former.

Mine too.

Two rather generic points of advice regarding the design:

1) I'm a little nervous about the idea of a generic "metadata"
   facility.

   I'd generally rather see a generic design pattern for "metadata" --
   applied in specific cases -- but I'm not so sure about new
   "metadata commands".


2) Storing metadata as revisions is a good idea -- consider recording
   the metadata in the log messages.

   One idea is to spread the metadata for a particular task out over
   an entire tree.   If you want to read the data, you have to `get'
   the tree in question.

   Another idea is to keep the data for particular task entirely in
   the log messages.   The most recent log message for a "metadata
   project" contains the current value of all the data.   If you want
   to read the data, you just `cat-archive-log' the latest log
   message.

   While the "store it all in the log message" pattern isn't
   universally applicable, I'd bet it works for many specific tasks.
   This is an example reason why I am skeptical about generic
   "metadata commands" -- because particular _kinds_ of "metadata" can
   presumably be optimized in some non-general ways (such as storing
   it in log messages).

-t