Compressing unix disks

[aglew at ccvaxa.UUCP]

>For the benefit of the poster of the original question: BSD 4.2's fast file
>system uses a disk management scheme that keeps disk transfer rates near
>constant over time (not sensitive to fragmentation through use). 4.2 BSD's
>throughput rates are dependent, instead, on the total amount of free space,
>which must not be allowed to drop below a certain threshold. 
>
>-Mike Marshall         hubcap at hubcap.clemson.edu         ...!hubcap!hubcap

Disk thruput maybe, file thruput no. Lots of activity on a nearly full
disk can result in a file spread across several cylinders, because there 
wasn't room on a single cylinder when it was created, although there may 
be now.
    Perhaps the term "fragmentation" is inappropriate.