Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!lll-winken!uunet!philmtl!philabs!ttidca!woodside
From: woodside@ttidca.TTI.COM (George Woodside)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Turtle 3.0 suggestion
Message-ID: <4821@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Date: 20 Jul 89 11:39:18 GMT
References: <8907121203.AA03380@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <184@van-bc.UUCP>
Reply-To: woodside@ttidcb.tti.com (George Woodside)
Organization: Citicorp/TTI, Santa Monica
Lines: 48

In article <184@van-bc.UUCP> rthurlow@van-bc.UUCP (Rob Thurlow) writes:
>I have another request for Turtle.  It is great, and has saved my bacon twice
>now, but I always have a problem with it's method for packing the most files
>on each disk.  It always finds the largest file in the current directory that
>will fit on the disk and adds that next, continuing until the disk is full.
>The problem is that this scrambles my AUTO folder quite badly.  I have
>learned to copy that manually to another disk, but I don't like it.  In
>general, I'd like to see Turtle only use this algorithm if it is determined
>that the entire folder WON'T fit on the floppy, preserving the directory
>order otherwise.  The only other beef is that everything I've seen so far to
>restore from Turtle disks is either buggy or slower than anything; if anyone
>writes the ultimate Unturtle, I'd like to hear about it.  Turtle is terrific
>George, thank you from someone who's been saved by it.

You're welcome.

But, I'm afraid that it's not likely that I'll be able to implement the
"files-in-same-order-if-the-folder-fits" request.

Turtle has severe memory problems. It, with the RAMdisk, just barely fits
into the 1M machines. Adding features and options is limited by memory to
the most crucial items. The most crucial, in the immediate future, is the
support of the way TOS 1.4 handles the Archive bit. Next is more flexibility
for diskette formats.

When Turtle reads a directory, it constructs a list of files, sorted in
size order. It starts at the top of the list, writing every file that
fits into the RAMdisk. When it hits the bottom of the list, if it skipped
any files, it needs another disk. It it didn't skip any, the folder is
finished, and it's off to the next one. Trying to back that out to a 
sequence imitating the hard disk directory would cost considerable memory,
which, in my humble opinion, would be better applied to other problems.

I get frequent requests for a restore utility. One of these days......

Turtle, the virus killer, Make, and the thirty-odd other programs I've
posted here (and other places) are what I needed, when I needed them.
Since such trivialities as home, job, family, etc. tend to limit the
amount of time I have free, I write what I need the most. When I need
a restore program that does something too unusual to be accomodated
by what's available now, I'll write what I need.

Working for a living sure cuts into my day.....


-- 
*George R. Woodside - Citicorp/TTI - Santa Monica, CA 
*Path:       ..!{philabs|csun|psivax}!ttidca!woodside