Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!wjh12!redsox!campbell
From: campbell@redsox.UUCP (Larry Campbell)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: libraries
Message-ID: <580@redsox.UUCP>
Date: 23 Dec 88 05:00:28 GMT
References: <15080@mimsy.UUCP> <1278@nusdhub.UUCP> <10242@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US>
Reply-To: campbell@redsox.UUCP (Larry Campbell)
Organization: The Boston Software Works, Inc.
Lines: 12

Why not keep directories sorted?  In SysV filesystems this is easy and
relatively inexpensive, since you can assume a fixed 16 bytes per name.
I am also assuming that lookups outnumber creations to a huge degree,
which I'm sure is the case.

Then namei becomes a binary search.

It also means ls doesn't need to sort things any more.
-- 
Larry Campbell                          The Boston Software Works, Inc.
campbell@bsw.com                        120 Fulton Street
wjh12!redsox!campbell                   Boston, MA 02146