Re: Zero length files - an alternative approach?

David Newall
2009-03-29T20:16:59Z

Pavel Machek wrote:
> fsync() is easy. But some people _want_ to have either newdata _or_
> olddata, but don't care which one, and would prefer to avoid
> fsync. That's where replace() should help...

Most people, I wager, care more about their code being portable than
they do about leaping through a Linux-specific hoop. They're not going
to use replace; not ever; that's what link/unlink is for.

If you think it's reasonable to modify every instance in applications
where a sudden crash would cause data loss, why not make a mount-time
flag that does all of that in FS; and for the other 99% of users, it
doesn't, but runs faster?