On 21-06-11 15:03, Martyn Russell wrote:
Would you have it index all files while the majority is overkill at first? Or would you limit the indexing scope and run the risk of the user getting unexpected results when starting to use other applications relying on Tracker?I am not sure I understand which direction you're coming from here. Tracker is usually installed to index all user data. If you have specific locations, they need to be added to the config of course, but you may also ask Tracker to index files directly using D-Bus. If you're talking about a close system or embedded device, then you get to control all of this. If you're talking about installing a package on a desktop system which requires Tracker, then it makes sense to work with us to make sure Tracker facilitates your needs (e.g. including directories which are not normally index). We have to consider the wider case as a rule.
I'll try to explain it a bit more. I'm talking about a desktop system. If the user installs Tracker manually, he expects, or could have expected, it to start indexing his complete system since that's basically Tracker's purpose. The same counts when the user installs a "FindEverythingOnYourSystem" application which uses Tracker as its core. In this case Tracker will be installed (if this isn't the case yet) as a dependency of the FindEverythingOnYourSystem application and start indexing the complete system. The user might not know that it is Tracker doing the actual indexing work, but in this case it does not matter. When the user installs a "ManageAllYourPhotos" application which uses Tracker as its core, the user wants to work on just photos. When Tracker gets installed as a dependency, it starts crunching on all files by default. A performance peak of 2 hours as a result of it for just 10 photos might not be considered acceptable. The same goes for e.g. the amount of permanent disk space usage. In this case you could limit the indexing by Tracker to specific folders or file types, or give specific folders or file types a higher priority as an alternative. When the user installs FindEverythingOnYourSystem at a later stage and the indexing was limited by ManageAllYourPhotos, he will only find its photos. Tracker was installed, there's no reason for FindEverythingOnYourSystem to assume not all was indexed in the first place. The way I look at it: From Tracker's perspective one should not limit the indexing but stick to the default. From ManageAllYourPhotos you'd better not limit the indexing at first start or at least present the user with choice, explaining the consequences. From a FindEverythingOnYourSystem perspective you should check what is indexed at first start and when it is limited provide an option to correct this. Does this sum it all up? Yours, Age
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