VERSION

OOo_2.2.1_SolarisSparc_install_wJRE_en-US.tar
OOF680_m18_native_packed-1_en-US.9161


SUMMARY

The ./program/ directory has 402 files, but only 99 are actual program related
files. It is suggested that the 294 library files be moved to their own
./program/lib sub-directory for organizational clarity.


BACKGROUND

The directory: ./program/ has 402 files (not including . and .. files)

Of those 402 total files, 9 are directory files.

Of the 393 remaining files, 294 are library files (ls -l *.so), including 19
links to other *.so files, totaling 73.13% of the directory files.

There are 99 remaining "program" files, only 33.67% of the directory files.


PROBLEMS

- This larger number of files is harder to read and understand.

- This directory is commonly linked to, or accessed by, to run actual program
files, yet library files (*.so) are never directly accessed, much less changed,
by users.

- In more sophisticated file system and program architecture arrangements,
libraries are not owned by a particular version, application, or vender, but 
are common with other vendor or open-system libraries. The application looks in
a hierarchy of numerous directories, with most cleanly named */lib/ . This 
avoids bloat from needless library duplication, yet permits library update
independent of application or version. (Yes, dependencies can be addressed.)

- Large file systems are incrementally slower for the OS file system to access.
Lengthy paths may have their own penalty, but I vaguely recall reading that UFS
file access time is the square of the number of files in the file directory.

- Cleanly segregating file types, when possible, is a "more organized" quality,
that may offer harder to define, second-order benefits.


SUGGESTIONS

- Create a ./program/lib directory, and move the ./*.so files to ./program/lib .

- This also requires various unknown changes in source code and make files.

- Also consider the directory name /library/ vs. /lib/ .

- Consider changes in relation to other general file organization and
installation location issues. File architecture has other OS and chip-set
implications. Application may at least extend to other Unix and OS-X (BSD).

#EOF