Re: ioctls for gnome-vfs

[Alex Graveley <alex ximian com>]

Hi,

On Fri, 2002-11-15 at 15:09, Joe Shaw wrote:
> I'm not so sure.  Maybe it's just the terminology, but "metadata" to me
> means any arbitrary information layered on top of files, probably
> persistent.  Image thumbnailing seems like a good use of metadata to
> me.  
> 
> This seems more like additional parameters on the method itself...
> things like setting HTTP headers for a specific request or passive mode
> on FTP.

I think it depends completely on the metadata being twiddled.  For
instance: idealy we would want metadata stored on an mp3 and prefixed
with "id3-tag:" to be stored in the id3 section of the file itself. 
Just as likely is setting headers in an http transfer, before a read or
write; in this case the meta-data should only be available for setting
on an open file handle, and not on a URI.

Also an issue for me is the that i can't think of any good reason for a
file-control api.  We don't expose sockets or file descriptors.  Ans the
example that alexl posted is certainly metadata and not an ioctl, since
the attribute is associated with a file and would presumably remain for
its lifetime.

-Alex

-- 
 on the canvass of life, incompetence is my paintbrush.