Author Topic: Folder size is still not permanent?  (Read 19889 times)

WasabiNME

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Folder size is still not permanent?
« on: June 22, 2016, 17:19:55 »
I checked this program out many years ago, and folder size was on-demand only. Is there really still not a way to have it be on all the time? I've been using a different explorer replacement that allows it to be always on and it causes no slowdown or disk thrashing whatsoever. It's pretty much instant on non-OS drives, and it only takes a few seconds on an SSD to calculate c:\

I suppose if someone is using an old 40GB platter drive from 2005 it might be a problem, so an option to exclude the c:\ drive (or the c:\Windows folder and/or any others) would be cool, but it's really not a performance issue at all. I don't think people have data drives with insanely complex folder structures anyway. It's only the OS drive where it takes a noticeable amount of time.

AlanJB

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Re: Folder size is still not permanent?
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2016, 19:25:13 »
Hi WasabiNME.

Playing devil's advocate here, but why do you need to see all folder sizes all the time?

Folder sizes can change by the second (or less), depending on how you use your PC.  IMHO, there are very few that you need to monitor regularly; and if you do, I would go for dedicated software that does just that.  Drive free space is surely a more important figure (and that is available and dynamic).

I have no SSDs and my SATA data drive (700Gb of 1T used) takes about 1 second to refresh (default: Shift+Alt+Enter) all folder sizes.

No?  Am I missing something?  Happy to be educated  ;)

Alan


WasabiNME

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Re: Folder size is still not permanent?
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2016, 23:01:09 »
There are times when I might need to sort folders by size, or find a group of folders that add up to a certain amount to move to a blank DVD, or look for empty folders to delete, or see which of my ended TV show folders is big enough to warrant moving offline to an external drive, or check which game data is taking up the most space in my Steam library, or instantly be able to tell where I miscopied a Blu-ray rip because I now have a 40GB Grand Funk Railroad folder (this actually just happened  :P), or...any number of other uses that come up several times a day. Seems trivial enough to add a button to have it be on or off fulltime when necessary, right?

AlanJB

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Re: Folder size is still not permanent?
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2016, 23:25:42 »
OK - I see why you feel you have the need.

But no version of Micro$oft Windoze has had it since v1.0, and - again IMHO - a single keypress is not a terrible price to ask  ::)

And not a reason to abandon or overlook an otherwise damned good file commander!

As I say, IMHO...

Mathias (Author)

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Re: Folder size is still not permanent?
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2016, 12:20:29 »
I checked this program out many years ago, and folder size was on-demand only. Is there really still not a way to have it be on all the time? I've been using a different explorer replacement that allows it to be always on and it causes no slowdown or disk thrashing whatsoever. It's pretty much instant on non-OS drives, and it only takes a few seconds on an SSD to calculate c:\

I suppose if someone is using an old 40GB platter drive from 2005 it might be a problem, so an option to exclude the c:\ drive (or the c:\Windows folder and/or any others) would be cool, but it's really not a performance issue at all. I don't think people have data drives with insanely complex folder structures anyway. It's only the OS drive where it takes a noticeable amount of time.

Sorry, No, I only see problems with that.
If I want to see the size of a folder I press the key(Shift+Alt+return) to size them all (or selected folders) or I select folders using space.
Having it doing that all the time it a waste, I only need to know it in some situations.

And since I do not have a need for it my self and that I don't really see it as very useful. something like this is way way down my todo list.
There are so much more things that are more important to add.
So I might add it when I added everything else that is more useful,  But it can take a long time..

WasabiNME

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Re: Folder size is still not permanent?
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2016, 18:00:38 »
I do not have a need for it my self and that I don't really see it as very useful
That says all I need to know. Clearly there's no need for me to bother with unsupported software.

So I might add it when I added everything else that is more useful,  But it can take a long time..

Yes. At least five years lmao
http://forum.multicommander.com/forum/index.php?topic=250.0

Mathias (Author)

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Re: Folder size is still not permanent?
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2016, 19:18:17 »
I do not have a need for it my self and that I don't really see it as very useful
That says all I need to know. Clearly there's no need for me to bother with unsupported software.

So I might add it when I added everything else that is more useful,  But it can take a long time..

Yes. At least five years lmao
http://forum.multicommander.com/forum/index.php?topic=250.0

Sure if that feature is so important for you then you better look for something else.
I'm sorry. but spending time adding a feature that almost only you have a need for is a waste of my time. I rather spent that time adding something that will give a majority of users something useful.  Time is not unlimited. I have to pick and choose what to add
 

WasabiNME

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Re: Folder size is still not permanent?
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2016, 10:39:28 »
I'm sorry. but spending time adding a feature that almost only you have a need for is a waste of my time. I rather spent that time adding something that will give a majority of users something useful.  Time is not unlimited. I have to pick and choose what to add
You've already coded the complex part. MC already is capable of calculating filesizes*. All I was asking for is a button on the panel to have it be on full time or off full time. You literally could have coded that in less time than it took to type both of your replies. Hell, I could do it if this was open source lol


*Rather poorly, I've discovered after some testing. It's shockingly slow. As in it took several minutes to calculate the folder sizes on a 6 TB drive filled with an iTunes-style music directory structure. My alternative took about 45 seconds. And it wasn't a matter of anything being cached. MC was waaaaaaaaaaay slower every time I tried no matter which program I used first.

It's also spectacularly poorly behaved. If you do the SHIFT+ALT+ENTER thing on an entire drive, it won't stop until it's done even if you change directories.

So yeah, even if you could be "bothered" to add the feature it would be practically useless in real-world situations. Sorry to have taken up so much of your valuable time. I know you'd much rather be spending it adding all those other wonderful missing features  8)

Mathias (Author)

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Re: Folder size is still not permanent?
« Reply #8 on: June 26, 2016, 12:46:26 »
Haha.. wow, Seriously! You got pissed because I did not see a big value in added your special feature. Wow. You are going to be disappointed a lot in you life.
You will not get everything you want. The world does not work like that.. Just relax man. :)

I'm sorry. but spending time adding a feature that almost only you have a need for is a waste of my time. I rather spent that time adding something that will give a majority of users something useful.  Time is not unlimited. I have to pick and choose what to add
You've already coded the complex part. MC already is capable of calculating filesizes*. All I was asking for is a button on the panel to have it be on full time or off full time. You literally could have coded that in less time than it took to type both of your replies. Hell, I could do it if this was open source lol
So you are a developer.. I find that hard to believe.
If you where a good programmer you would understand that it is not that easy.
Just because you think it might look easy to add something like that does not mean it is.
Things like that are a lot more complex that you think.
Specially when you have a lot of async and parallel operations going on in multiple panel.


*Rather poorly, I've discovered after some testing. It's shockingly slow. As in it took several minutes to calculate the folder sizes on a 6 TB drive filled with an iTunes-style music directory structure. My alternative took about 45 seconds. And it wasn't a matter of anything being cached. MC was waaaaaaaaaaay slower every time I tried no matter which program I used first.
Also if you had been programming for Windows you know there is not much you can do. The speed of something like this is all up to the HW and OS and what else is going on causing I/O on the hardware.  And so much is affected by the speed like caches and other things going on.

It's also spectacularly poorly behaved. If you do the SHIFT+ALT+ENTER thing on an entire drive, it won't stop until it's done even if you change directories.
It is actually a feature..   the sizes are cached. So you can start a size operation that will take a long time, You can than move away to another location do some other work while it works in the background. and when it done and you return, you see all the sizes.. You do not have to stay there until it is done, It would be BAD if it stopped if you left the folder.
(and you can abort the operation with ESC key)

So yeah, even if you could be "bothered" to add the feature it would be practically useless in real-world situations. Sorry to have taken up so much of your valuable time. I know you'd much rather be spending it adding all those other wonderful missing features  8)
Another comment that make be believe that you are not a developer as you say. 
Because if you worked with software development you would know you can't add everything. And because one feature is super important to you does not mean it is so for everybody.
All user have different needs, and I try to add the feature will would bring added value for most users.  Spending all the time adding special features that only 1% here and 1% here have any use of is not a good way to spend time. Sometimes I add a 1% feature but it is often if it is easy to add and contained so it does not mess with other parts of the architecture

Oh And I forgive you for taking up my valuable time.  I understand that it can be frustrating to not get everything you want, and that everybody does not see how important your needs are.