Re: Thumbnail cleanup UI patch (bug 150483)

["Jaap Haitsma" <jaap haitsma org>]

> Hi,
>
> http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=150483
>
> Since we're at the start of a development cycle, perhaps now is a good
> time to consider the issue of accumulation of thumbnail files consuming
> disk space indefinitely.  At present, when a thumbnailed file is
> deleted, its thumbnail file in ~/.thumbnails lingers.  This can lead  to
> consumption of substantial wasted space, particularly for those who
> frequently handle large numbers of images.
>
> On this bug, I propose and implement a user interface that provides two
> functions to help with this problem:
>       * "Empty Thumbnail Cache" deletes all thumbnails
>       * "Clean Up Thumbnail Cache" deletes only those thumbnails that
>         are for files that no longer exist.
>
> These are made available as buttons in the nautilus File Management
> Preferences dialog.  Although I recognise that this is not an incredibly
> elegant way of dealing with the problem, it at least provides some
> respite, and a definite improvement over the present situation (which
> demands that the user know about ~/.thumbnails).
>
> Some other possible mechanisms for dealing with this problem that others
> may be interested in:
>       * Some kind of indication to the user when they're low on disk
>         space, the thumbnail cleanup being presented as one way of
>         freeing space.
>       * The automatic background removal of redundant thumbnails.  This
>         involves opening thousands of pngs, so would have to be
>         implemented very delicately to avoid impacting performance.
>       * Intelligent removal of thumbnails by nautilus upon
>         deletion/moving of files.
>
Wouldn't it be handier too automatically do a cleanup by looking at the
time the thumbnail was accessed the last time. E.g. if a thumbnail hasn't
been accessed for 6 months you delete it.

Jaap