[Fontconfig] Re: performance patch: reduce stat () call if all cache files can be trusted

[Patrick Lam]

Mike FABIAN wrote:
> Takashi IWAI <tiwai at suse.de> made a patch to reduce the amount of stat
> () calls in the case when one is absolutely sure that all cache files
> are OK and up-to-date and can be trusted. 
> 
> For details see
> 
>     http://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=148361
> 
> from comment #20 on.
> 
> There are problems if the cache files are not correct of course,
> but nevertheless Takashi's patch might be a useful performance hack
> if a user is able to make sure that all cache files can be trusted.

This bug is not publicly readable.  Doesn't it tend to be a bad idea to
trust cache files, in that it causes a pretty annoying failure mode?
How much performance can we potentially gain?

pat