Simplenaut & VioletRook
Simplenaut Simplenaut
VioletRook VioletRook
VioletRook VioletRook
If you had to build a minimalist evidence storage system that speeds up retrieval and keeps everything uncontaminated, what would be the first rule you’d write?
Simplenaut Simplenaut
Rule one: keep every piece of evidence in a single, uniquely named folder and never allow duplicate files, so you can find anything instantly and avoid any contamination.
VioletRook VioletRook
Nice rule, but without a versioning scheme you’re just throwing a single copy into a void—good luck finding the original when it’s overwritten.
Simplenaut Simplenaut
Rule two: use an append‑only log with a hash‑based filename so each version is immutable, and keep a reference table that maps the current state to its history, guaranteeing the original never gets overwritten.
VioletRook VioletRook
That’s solid, but do you plan to index the hashes by date or by content? A flat list with no structure feels like a future audit nightmare.
Simplenaut Simplenaut
Index by content only, with a lightweight metadata file for the date, so every lookup is a single hash lookup and the audit trail is a deterministic, append‑only list.
VioletRook VioletRook
Nice plan, but if two files have identical content you’ll still end up with duplicate entries pointing to the same hash—your index won’t catch that.
Simplenaut Simplenaut
Rule three: add a unique, monotonically increasing sequence to the filename even if the content is identical, then store a secondary index that flags identical hashes so duplicates are flagged but not duplicated in storage. This keeps the list flat and audit‑ready.
VioletRook VioletRook
That’s clever, but now you’re juggling three indices—content hash, sequence, and duplicate flag. Every lookup still costs three lookups; your “flat” list might just be a hidden nested structure.
Simplenaut Simplenaut
Rule four: collapse the three indices into a single B‑tree keyed by the composite of content hash and sequence; duplicate flags become a lightweight flag field in the leaf node, so every lookup requires only one traversal.
VioletRook VioletRook
That’s an elegant consolidation, but you’re trading a flat list for a tree that still has to rebalance when you add new nodes. Every insert could cost a log‑structured traversal anyway. Make sure you’ve got a rollback plan if a node splits mid‑transaction.