Thanks for all the positive feedback on the work I did. Actually the first thing i did this morning was this:
http://livz.org/seesmic?u=@weblivz
and
http://livz.org/seesmic?t=rss
This returned no results, but i DID get some great feedback on the blogs and privately by email.
Anyway, glad to receive any feedback and hope it comes in useful. Back to my own plan to rule the world now ...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Playing with Seesmic feeds - 3 small features
One of my frustrations with Seesmic was simply knowing what was going on without hitting the site all the time and filtering posts. The provide a Twitter feed which is pretty good but it's getting busy and although they have an RSS feed on the top of the Twitter feed i never knew this til i looked at their JSON code....
... in any case there are a number of things i wanted to do and will likely want to do in the future to the JSON to XML stuff i did will likely come in useful again.
ANYWAY - what have I done??
Well ....
1. An RSS feed of Seesmic - updates around every 15 minutes and can be found here :
http://livz.org/seesmic
2. You can discover posts relevant to you using the "u" querystring value. So
http://livz.org/seesmic?u=@weblivz
... will return feeds created by me - or directed to me (if you really only want things created by you, then add "by " to the query, such as http://livz.org/seesmic?u=by @weblivz).
3. You can filter based on content using the "t" querystring value. So you can find posts about Seesmic with the following query:
http://livz.org/seesmic?t=seesmic
THIS means you can see if anyone has replied to you by just appending "Re: " to the first few characters of your original subject line. So looking at the site just now, i can find replies to "Reload Seesmic for new features !" with the following query ....
http://livz.org/seesmic?t=Re: Reload
It's a bit of a start - hope it is of some use. I already use it to quickly check the last N posts - i guess the fact i can now translate their JSON to RSS will be more useful when it comes to RSS on a person basic - rather than public (which may be quite soon as it's getting busy). In any case hope the filtering features are of some use.
... in any case there are a number of things i wanted to do and will likely want to do in the future to the JSON to XML stuff i did will likely come in useful again.
ANYWAY - what have I done??
Well ....
1. An RSS feed of Seesmic - updates around every 15 minutes and can be found here :
http://livz.org/seesmic
2. You can discover posts relevant to you using the "u" querystring value. So
http://livz.org/seesmic?u=@weblivz
... will return feeds created by me - or directed to me (if you really only want things created by you, then add "by " to the query, such as http://livz.org/seesmic?u=by @weblivz).
3. You can filter based on content using the "t" querystring value. So you can find posts about Seesmic with the following query:
http://livz.org/seesmic?t=seesmic
THIS means you can see if anyone has replied to you by just appending "Re: " to the first few characters of your original subject line. So looking at the site just now, i can find replies to "Reload Seesmic for new features !" with the following query ....
http://livz.org/seesmic?t=Re: Reload
It's a bit of a start - hope it is of some use. I already use it to quickly check the last N posts - i guess the fact i can now translate their JSON to RSS will be more useful when it comes to RSS on a person basic - rather than public (which may be quite soon as it's getting busy). In any case hope the filtering features are of some use.
Seesmic is a conversation
I watched a Seesmic video by Loic Le Meur of Seesmic trying to state the point that unlike YouTube, Seesmic is a conversation - much likfe Twitter.
I've been using it since the weekend now and it really is very cool and yes, it is a conversation (although the actual conversation part is something they need to work on - following parts of a conversation is tricky).
The difference from YouTube is that you are talking to your friends. Sure, just now everything is public, but over time it will be your friends because as the public timeline gets noisier, you want to follow only things interesting to you - i.e. your friends.
I have made many friends online recently and many through Twitter, blogs and even Seesmic - so the definition of a friend is pretty flexible.
We all feel a little self-concious when creating these videos but over time this (i hope) will improve and you (or I) will feel more confortable with it all. I DO think that feedback and people talking back to you on Seesmic in a response to your video is a big part of that.
Perhaps we should all be teamed with a mentor who is confortable with it all and can give some feedback. Or maybe just an abrupt "hot or not" system :)
Oh, Seesmic is COOL!
I've been using it since the weekend now and it really is very cool and yes, it is a conversation (although the actual conversation part is something they need to work on - following parts of a conversation is tricky).
The difference from YouTube is that you are talking to your friends. Sure, just now everything is public, but over time it will be your friends because as the public timeline gets noisier, you want to follow only things interesting to you - i.e. your friends.
I have made many friends online recently and many through Twitter, blogs and even Seesmic - so the definition of a friend is pretty flexible.
We all feel a little self-concious when creating these videos but over time this (i hope) will improve and you (or I) will feel more confortable with it all. I DO think that feedback and people talking back to you on Seesmic in a response to your video is a big part of that.
Perhaps we should all be teamed with a mentor who is confortable with it all and can give some feedback. Or maybe just an abrupt "hot or not" system :)
Oh, Seesmic is COOL!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Optimizing NTFS Performance
If you are writing any web services that store large files on an NTFS volume, this section is very useful - full article here.
Optimizing NTFS Performance
NTFS performance is affected by many factors, such as cluster size, fragmentation level, and the use of programs such as antivirus software. In addition, NTFS features such as compression and Indexing Service can also affect performance. Optimize the performance of NTFS volumes by using the following guidelines.
Determine Cluster Size
Before you format an NTFS volume, evaluate the types of files to be stored on the volume to determine whether to use the default cluster size. Some important questions to answer include:
* Are the files typically the same size?
* Are the files smaller than the default cluster size?
* Do the files remain the same size or grow larger?
If the files are typically smaller than the default cluster size (for example, 4 KB) and do not increase, use the default cluster size to reduce wasted disk space. However, smaller clusters can increase fragmentation, especially when files grow to fill more than one cluster. Therefore, adjust the cluster size accordingly when you format the volume. If the files you store tend to be large or increase in size, use 16-KB or 32-KB clusters instead of the default 4-KB cluster size.
Note Compression is supported only on volumes that use 4-KB or smaller clusters.
Cluster size is also an issue for volumes that were converted from FAT to NTFS in Windows 2000 or earlier because the default cluster size for converted volumes is 512 bytes, and the MFT was most likely fragmented during the conversion. For optimum performance, back up the data on the volume, reformat the volume, specify the appropriate cluster size, and then restore the data.
For more information about choosing a cluster size, see “Cluster Size” earlier in this chapter.
Use Short File Names
Every time you create a file with a long file name, NTFS creates a second file entry that has a similar 8.3 short file name. A file with an 8.3 short file name has a file name containing 1 to 8 characters and a file name extension containing 1 to 3 characters. The file name and file name extension are separated by a period.
If you have a large number of files (300,000 or more) in a folder, and the files have long file names with the same initial characters, the time required to create the files increases. The increase occurs because NTFS bases the short file name on the first six characters of the long file name. In folders with more than 300,000 files, the short file names start to conflict after NTFS uses all the 8.3 names that are similar to the long file names. Repeated conflicts between a generated short file name and existing short file names cause NTFS to regenerate the short file name from 6 to 8 times.
To reduce the time required to create files, use the fsutil behavior set disable8dot3 command to disable the creation of 8.3 short file names. (You must restart your computer for this setting to take effect.) For more information about disabling 8.3 short file names, see “MS-DOS-Readable File Names on NTFS Volumes” later in this chapter.
If you want NTFS to generate 8.3 names, improve performance by using a naming scheme in which long file names differ at the beginning of the name instead of at the end.
For more information about short file names, see “File Names in Windows XP Professional” later in this chapter.
Determine Folder Structure
NTFS supports volumes with large numbers of files and folders, so create a folder structure that works best for your organization. Some guidelines to consider when designing a folder structure include:
* Avoid putting a large number of files into a folder if you use programs that create, delete, open, or close files quickly or frequently. The better solution is to logically separate the files into folders to distribute the workload on multiple folders at the same time.
* If there is no way to logically separate the files into folders, put all the files into one folder and then disable 8.3 file name generation. If you must use 8.3 names, use a file-naming scheme that ensures that the first six characters are unique.
Warning The time required to run Chkdsk.exe increases with larger folders. For more information about determining how long Chkdsk takes to complete, see Chapter 28, “Troubleshooting Disks and File Systems.”
Optimizing NTFS Performance
NTFS performance is affected by many factors, such as cluster size, fragmentation level, and the use of programs such as antivirus software. In addition, NTFS features such as compression and Indexing Service can also affect performance. Optimize the performance of NTFS volumes by using the following guidelines.
Determine Cluster Size
Before you format an NTFS volume, evaluate the types of files to be stored on the volume to determine whether to use the default cluster size. Some important questions to answer include:
* Are the files typically the same size?
* Are the files smaller than the default cluster size?
* Do the files remain the same size or grow larger?
If the files are typically smaller than the default cluster size (for example, 4 KB) and do not increase, use the default cluster size to reduce wasted disk space. However, smaller clusters can increase fragmentation, especially when files grow to fill more than one cluster. Therefore, adjust the cluster size accordingly when you format the volume. If the files you store tend to be large or increase in size, use 16-KB or 32-KB clusters instead of the default 4-KB cluster size.
Note Compression is supported only on volumes that use 4-KB or smaller clusters.
Cluster size is also an issue for volumes that were converted from FAT to NTFS in Windows 2000 or earlier because the default cluster size for converted volumes is 512 bytes, and the MFT was most likely fragmented during the conversion. For optimum performance, back up the data on the volume, reformat the volume, specify the appropriate cluster size, and then restore the data.
For more information about choosing a cluster size, see “Cluster Size” earlier in this chapter.
Use Short File Names
Every time you create a file with a long file name, NTFS creates a second file entry that has a similar 8.3 short file name. A file with an 8.3 short file name has a file name containing 1 to 8 characters and a file name extension containing 1 to 3 characters. The file name and file name extension are separated by a period.
If you have a large number of files (300,000 or more) in a folder, and the files have long file names with the same initial characters, the time required to create the files increases. The increase occurs because NTFS bases the short file name on the first six characters of the long file name. In folders with more than 300,000 files, the short file names start to conflict after NTFS uses all the 8.3 names that are similar to the long file names. Repeated conflicts between a generated short file name and existing short file names cause NTFS to regenerate the short file name from 6 to 8 times.
To reduce the time required to create files, use the fsutil behavior set disable8dot3 command to disable the creation of 8.3 short file names. (You must restart your computer for this setting to take effect.) For more information about disabling 8.3 short file names, see “MS-DOS-Readable File Names on NTFS Volumes” later in this chapter.
If you want NTFS to generate 8.3 names, improve performance by using a naming scheme in which long file names differ at the beginning of the name instead of at the end.
For more information about short file names, see “File Names in Windows XP Professional” later in this chapter.
Determine Folder Structure
NTFS supports volumes with large numbers of files and folders, so create a folder structure that works best for your organization. Some guidelines to consider when designing a folder structure include:
* Avoid putting a large number of files into a folder if you use programs that create, delete, open, or close files quickly or frequently. The better solution is to logically separate the files into folders to distribute the workload on multiple folders at the same time.
* If there is no way to logically separate the files into folders, put all the files into one folder and then disable 8.3 file name generation. If you must use 8.3 names, use a file-naming scheme that ensures that the first six characters are unique.
Warning The time required to run Chkdsk.exe increases with larger folders. For more information about determining how long Chkdsk takes to complete, see Chapter 28, “Troubleshooting Disks and File Systems.”
Seesmic Citizens Collective
Thanks to Jeff Pulver and his tweet, I got a Seesmic invite and signed up and sent in my first video - it was all spur of the moment and the two kids were kicking off so it was slightly chaotic (whether it gets less chaotic, only time will tell!).
Anyway, i wanted to simply ask whether there were any other Scottish Seemsic folk and wasn't sure what you call a collection of Seemic folks - i.e. "Are there any other Scottish ..... out there"?
1. Seesmicites - i'm sure i saw one of these in a nature program
2. Seesmatics - sounds like a hoover
3. ?
Any ideas?
I should have posted this as a video but the kids are approaching bedtime and so all hell is breaking loose!
Anyway, i wanted to simply ask whether there were any other Scottish Seemsic folk and wasn't sure what you call a collection of Seemic folks - i.e. "Are there any other Scottish ..... out there"?
1. Seesmicites - i'm sure i saw one of these in a nature program
2. Seesmatics - sounds like a hoover
3. ?
Any ideas?
I should have posted this as a video but the kids are approaching bedtime and so all hell is breaking loose!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)