[CentOS] mbox files - can they be "compacted"?

On 2014-04-14, Chris <ch2009 at arcor.de> wrote:
> On 04/06/2014 02:09 PM, Rafa?? Radecki wrote:
>> I have some very large constantly updated mbox
>> files
>
> I don't know a tool to compact them, but I would consider converting
> them to Maildir. Although they won't need less space, handling them will
> be easier.

In the context of the OP, when mutt tries to deal with a message (e.g.,
deleting, moving to a folder), it can be boatloads faster, since
handling the message works on a small file which contains just that
message.  Deleting a message from an mbox mailbox, for example, requires
rewriting the entire changed mbox file to disk (minus the deleted message).
Deleting a message from a Maildir mailbox is just removing one file from
a directory.

--keith

-- 
kkeller at wombat.san-francisco.ca.us