[vorbis] Total Tracks Tag?

[Segher Boessenkool]

Tom Felker wrote:
> On Thursday 09 October 2003 9:29 am, Segher Boessenkool wrote:
> 
> Reading tags is slow, so a database is a good idea.  Unfortunately, it's too 
> easy for files to get separated from a database.  People constantly create, 
> organize, and trade files, and there's no standard way to keep a database in 
> sync throughout those processes.  It's impractical to have each ripper and 
> each downloader check info into each database every time they write a file.

So put metadata in the actual stream.  I already said (several times in this
thread) that I'm all for that.  But do not put them in the tags.

> By putting tags in each file that fully describe the track and the album, it's 
> easy to keep the database in sync: First, your ripper writes files and adds 
> tags, or you (legally) download files that have tags.  Then, you organize the 
> files, and the database populates itself from the contents of the tags.  

Tags are not systematics.  You can't reliably prime a database from that.
Of course you _can_ try your best, and have the user edit the metadata
(not the tags!) to be more usable.

> A good metadata system is needed, but tags are an integral part of that 
> system.

To the contrary.  Tags are like post-it's on a CD cover; metadata is
the print on the CD.

> Crippling tags to advocate a metadata system is counterproductive.  

_You_ want to cripple tags, not me.  And I'm not advocating a metadata
system; I just want the Ogg community to finally start creating one.

> Besides, if you don't use any tags but COMMENT, why do you care?

Because I'm not a short-sighted Vorbis user, but someone who wants to
help facilitate a good, usable, multimedia architecture that will kick
the backside of all the dumb hacks that are currently available.

I do not want to create another dumb hack.

> Here's an idea for a universal metadata system:  the OS would run a userspace 
> program whenever something interesting happens to a file.  For example, when 
> a file open for reading is closed, the app would extract metadata from the 
> file and check it into a database.  The data would be updated when the file 
> is moved, and removed when it's deleted.  You'd then have a nifty, always in 
> sync, searchable database of everything.  With a nice search GUI, this could 
> compete with Microsoft's mysterious new WinFS.

Try MacOS or BeOS.  And it's not handled at the OS level, but by some toolkit.
Much saner.

<p>Segher

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