Re: [ARSCLIST] file size metadata

["Copeland, Peter" <Peter.Copeland@xxxxx>]

Dear All,
    Here's my twopennyworth.
    Another factor is the nature of the operating system. To save
complications, I propose to make my point by reference to the usual "HD"
MS-DOS floppydisk. Its file structure allows the data to be stored in
multiples of 256 bits, and the ASCII character-set is designed to work
in this way, so one character (usually) occupies one byte. The
table-of-contents will in fact allow smaller files - even one bit - but
the remaining 255 bits cannot be used, unless the data is overwritten by
an .EXE (executable) program. A floppydisk's table-of-contents can show
everything to 1-bit resolution.
    Another point is that there may be a "file header". The original
.WAV file had a file-header 32 bytes long, which stored the file size so
that playback software would stop playing the audio before it over-ran
and blew up loudspeakers with raw digital data from the next file.
    The point I'm making is that in practice each institution and each
application may require a different solution. There can be no "right
way" to do it.
Peter

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Brandon Burke
Sent: 08 June 2005 22:24
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ARSCLIST] file size metadata

All,

I am tweaking some fields in our audio collections database and was
wondering how the rest of you record file sizes.

Do you allow for different units such as MB and GB in your
databases...or
are you converting everything into bytes?  I'm assuming most standards
prefer you to hang your hat on a universal unit like byte.  But this
causes
some problems in that (a) every file size has to be converted into bytes
and (b) most users, archivists included, don't see the world in terms of
bytes.  When I'm trying to figure out how many files are going to fit on
X
hard drive or Y CD-R I'm looking at MGs and GBs only.

How are you recording this data...?

thanks as always,
Brandon Burke

_______________________________________
Brandon Burke
Archival Specialist
Hoover Institution Archives
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6010
voice: 650.724.9711
fax: 650.725.3445
email: burke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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