From: Chris Gehlker <gehlker@...>
Date: 2002-06-15T07:14:38+09:00
Subject: Are Unix tools just slow?

Awhile back I was asking for help with a unixy way to search the mounted
volumes on my OSX machine for executable files. With help from you all, I
came up with a system call that worked but it was taking over two minutes.

I decided that I couldn't live with that so I rewrote the routine in fairly
high level C (no parameter block stuff -- all done with FSIterators).

My first working version, debug code and all, runs in about 0.2 seconds.

On this old box,
sudo find / > /dev/null
Takes 61 seconds so I don't have any hope of avoiding the C code.

It got me wondering, though. Are the unix file inquiry tools just really
slow on Mac OSX or are they slow everywhere? Did Unix sacrifice efficiency
for portability?
-- 
Many individuals have, like uncut diamonds, shining qualities beneath a
rough exterior. - Juvenal, poet (c. 60-140)