Hi, so far, mtimes (modification times) of files are not specified as an element in the Metalink format. This strikes me as odd, and it makes me remember that I always find it lacking when downloaded files don't get the correct mtime. (There are some clients that try to take the mtime from the Last-Modified header, but I think that doesn't reliably work, and doesn't work with FTP at all.)
Copying mtime is indispensable for yielding local files that can be used with rsync without causing unneeded checksumming. (Difference in size or difference in mtime are the criteria for rsync to trigger complete checksumming over a file.) Size & mtime are two pretty good criteria to quickly judge for a file's up-to-date-ness, which is why rsync uses them. Including the mtime in Metalinks would make it possible to reliably transmit this piece of information. So I propose to include an <mtime> element, similar to the existing <size> element. It should be optional. Client software SHOULD make use of it, if the element is present, and the operating system has support for it. The format of the element should probably allow for subsecond (fraction) time values, since some operating systems seems to have that. Thoughts? Peter -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Metalink Discussion" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/metalink-discussion?hl=en.
