[Gllug] Email programs and mbox format

[Huw Lynes]

On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 11:26:03 +0000
Sharon Kimble <sharon63 at lineone.net> wrote:

> I am currently using Sylpheed-Claws as my main email program and it is
> holding a total of 53,682 emails [which I need to keep for research
> purposes] in mbox format, although the number is contantly growing. The
> only problem is that although I imported one mbox into SC for each
> seperate folder, SC then dissected it into lots of little mboxs which is
> currently taking up about 6.5gigs of space. When there is just one
> mbox for each folder they only take up about 700mb of space. Quite a
> difference!
> 

Sylpheed doesn't use mbox it uses MH. The difference between theses two
schemes is, as you've noted, that mh stores each mail as a separate file.

File space differences will be down to the parameters set on your filesystem.
Since there is a minimum amount of disk space that the filesystem can allocate
a very large number of very small files can use more disk space. You may be
able to tune your filesystem do deal with this more efficiently.

What filesystem are you using?

-- 
| Huw Lynes               | The Moving Picture Company  |
| System Administrator    | 127 Wardour Street          |
|.........................| London, W1F 0NL             | 


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