silly quesiton [ot]

[Chris Bennett]

On Mon, Jan 31, 2022 at 06:23:28AM +0000, Sam Kuper wrote:
> On Sun, Jan 30, 2022 at 07:49:56PM -0900, justina colmena ~biz wrote:
> > On January 30, 2022 6:30:44 PM AKST, Sam Kuper wrote:
> >> On Sun, Jan 30, 2022 at 06:17:49PM -0900, justina colmena ~biz wrote:
> >>> On January 30, 2022 5:46:53 PM AKST, dovecot at ptld.com wrote:
> >>>> Storing mail in a db... at the end of the day isn't it still just a
> >>>> file (.db file) on the drive?
> >>>>
> >>>> Aren't you just adding bloat and complexity vs just storing the
> >>>> mail directly (maildir format) to a file on the drive? [...]
> >>>
> >>> You'll get better indexing and fast full text search by storing your
> >>> emails in a database rather than a flat file, hopefully after
> >>> decoding any attachments. Especially for spam scoring, analysis, and
> >>> classification. Much better performance deleting or moving specific
> >>> messages, too.
> >>
> >> Do you have evidence to back up these claims, specifically re: mail
> >> servers?
> >> 
> >> Like-for-like benchmarks, for instance?
> >
> > Just ideas.
> 
> OK, no then.
> 
> 
> > Removing or deleting a single message from near the beginning of a
> > large flat file takes an inordinate amount of time because the
> > remainder of the flat file has to be rewritten all the way from the
> > point of the deleted message to the end of the file and then
> > truncated.
> 
> You might want to look up what Maildir is before making bold but
> apparently unfounded claims about it.
> 
> Maildir is not a "large flat file".  It is a set of conventions that
> amount to a database specification, in the traditional sense of the word
> "database": a system for storing data.  (Not a relational database.)
> 

Many people haven't ever had to deal with the old "database" style of
files instead of tables and columns.
Maildir does show it's age with the little complexities it has.

> DJB developed Maildir to gain performance and reliability improvements
> over mbox files.  Unlike Maildirs, mbox files *are* "large flat files".

Corrupt your mbox file and bad things happen!

I also like being able to throw in some older backed up email when I
find I need a few more to fill out that important thread from 3 years
ago with Maildir.

Maildir does not have the relational database problem of needing to keep
up with updates to the database software.

And nothing works very well when you suddenly discover that the company
you are renting servers from decides to close up and turn everything
off. While you are in another country with internet cafes only and don't
even have a laptop with you! Happened to me once. 8-{

-- 
Chris Bennett