From: H. Peter Anvin <hpa@zytor.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 16:24:22 GMT
Subject: Re: .git/info/refs
Message-ID: <45B78836.5080508@zytor.com>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.63.0701241658490.22628@wbgn013.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de>

Johannes Schindelin wrote:
> 
> To me, it seems like all boils down to caching parsed data structures. 
> I.e. parse the config, then serialize the parsed data to a file. Don't 
> reparse the config unless it is 1 hour older than the config.
> 
> Likewise, run for-each-ref, and serialize the parsed data into a file. 
> Don't rerun for-each-ref if that file is younger than 15 minutes.
> 
> Maybe the same for the first 200 commits of each branch.
> 
> (I made those times up, but you get the idea.)
> 

A much better idea is to have that data structure updated on repository 
updates, which is the whole point behind .git/info/refs.  On kernel.org, 
at least, if you don't keep .git/info/refs up to date you need to get 
your fingers whacked anyway, since it damages usability for one 
particular class of users.

	-hpa