newsbin.com

With Newsbin Version 6, what exactly is accomplished with running Database Header Compaction (Groups List -> Group or Folder -> Post Storage -> Compact Database)?

I couldn't find an answer in the Newsbin Wiki searching for the words compact or compaction. I readily admit that I haven't yet figured out how to conduct searches of the Wiki, except by using whole words (ie: The words compact or compaction).

The headers are all stored in a database, one per group. When you delete entries from the DB or Newsbin deletes entries that are older than the "Storage Age", no disk space is freed up. Instead the areas the deleted records occupied are used for new records you download.

When you compact the database, any unused space is freed back up and the data is organized into the most efficient layout.