Re: [PATCH] add the ability to create and retrieve delta objects

["C. Scott Ananian" <cscott@cscott.net>]

On Wed, 4 May 2005, Chris Mason wrote:

> 3) create a git-pack tool that can pack/unpack existing changesets,trees and
> files, optionally adding/removing deltas.

A 'git-pull' tool might be more use.  I can imagine Linus maintaining his 
local tree uncompressed, but the 'kernel.org' tree set up to 
git-pull-delta from him every hour or whatever, so that the 
network-accessible version is always network-efficient.  'git-pack'
would then simplify to a git-pull-delta from an existing local repository.

Ideally, you'd also be able to git-pull from a network packed repository 
and (transparently) unpack and undelta-fy the pulled files as they're 
added to your local repo.  This would keep Linus from accidentally getting 
packed files in his tree when he pulled from a maintainer's 
packed/delta-ed network-accessible tree.

I'd also be interested in seeing the speed/space numbers for some other 
delta chain lengths between 1 and 16.  Maybe some intermediate point is 
optimal.  [Also, limiting delta chains to a certain number of other 
*packed* objects -- instead of just 'objects' -- might be an improvement. 
Right now you're packing entire commits together, right?  Maybe defining a 
delta chain as 'N other commits max' might improve i/o performance, as 
you'd just have to keep N other unpacked files around, instead of an 
arbitrary number.]
  --scott

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