Re: OT: humungus Tbird file

["Patricia M. Godfrey" priscamg@xxxxxxxx]

Patricia M. Godfrey wrote:
> flash wrote:
> > Might I suggest a workaround? Archive your huge Tbird file somewhere, on
> > CD ROM, for example, regularly (with the date in the file name). Then
> > delete some emails from your running version on the pc to get the file
> > size down.
Well, I suspected this and have now proved it: Tbird does not remove
posts from that humongous Inbox file just because you deleted them
from your (visible) Inbox. I shut down Tbird and called Inbox in
EditPad (it's too big for Xy). The first item was a post from last
May; the earliest one in my visible inbox is from September.
Now under File there's a Compact Folder item, which I suspect might
actually purge the file. IF so, it would be rather like the difference
between Delete and Pack in dBase: when you delete a record, it's
marked as deleted, but remains in the table, and it acted upon by
commands or programs depending on whether or not they specify Set
Delete On (they're ignored, because they're considered deleted) or Set
Delete Off (they're acted upon, because the fact that they've been
deleted is ignored). If you want to REALLY get rid of them, you
command Pack, and then all "deleted" records are really deleted.

After I do my next backup, I'll try Compacting and see what happens.

Sorry, this is way OT.

Patricia M. Godfrey
PriscaMG@xxxxxxxx