Re: [MacPerl] Mac File 'GetInfo' Size Descrepancies

["Jefferson R. Lowrey" <lowrey@postoffice.sells.com>]

I'm sure you'll get a ton of responses on this one, all saying the same thing.
So, hopefully I'll be close to the first one to say it ;-).

The two sizes are
1) bytes - this is the actual raw byte size of the file (i.e. if it were
laid end to end, this many hamburgers would reach to the moon)
2) "On disk" size - this is the actual amount of space used by the raw byte
count on the disk.  This is a bigger number.  Why?  The mac file system
does not use an inode style of disk allocation, it uses a block format.
There are a fixed number of blocks (depending on whether you are using MFS
(PLEASE tell me you aren't using MFS), HFS, or HFS+ this is different).
Since a floppy disk has less space than a hard disk, these blocks are
SMALLER on the floppy than the HD.

**  Disclaimer for *nix gurus  **
I still don't really understand what an inode is, so forgive me if the
distinction I am making is not valid.

-Jefferson R. Lowrey
Computer Support Specialist
Sells Printing Company

>I'm unclear why in Mac OS, if one selects a file, then chooses 'File/Get
>Info', the file size is shown as two distinct fields (xk on disk, y
>bytes).
>
>a. Whats the significance of the two numbers? and
>b. Why is it that if the same file is copied to/from a floppy and a hard
>disk, the values shown for 'on disk' will be different on the floppy
>than will be shown for the hard disk?
>
>
>
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