Quoting Bruce Sass ([EMAIL PROTECTED]): > On 7 Sep 2000, John Hasler wrote: > > Bruce Sass writes: > > > I want to be able to manually add and edit entries in the DB (i.e., given > > > the freedom to royally screw things up if I feel so inclined), and it > > > doesn't matter if it is via a text editor or a special bin editor. > > > > I'm not convinced that you can write a special bin editor that you can > > guarantee will be able to fix all the ways that a bin database could get > > screwed up. > > Hmmm, ok. I guess it depends on what is meant by "binary database"; > I have been (rather loosely) interpreting the phrase as, `anything but > the existing DB composed of verbose printable lines'... and thinking > along the lines of encoding some of the information. > e.g.: > Status: install ok installed > becomes > 111 > at a specific location in the entry for the package it refers to. > or > Maintainer: John Hasler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > becomes > 999 > etc. > > The result is still human readable and editable with any text editor, > if you know the codes. The "special dpkg editor" would just make life > easier for those not wanting to look up or learn any codes.
This does two things: (1) the file can be handled as a text file, and (2) I can read the numbers 111,999 easier than o^C\347 embedded in a binary file. But while the appearance might be improved, its meaning is totally obscured to us humans. (The whole DNS database exists to present us with meaningful information instead of strings of numbers.) "999" means nothing, whereas "John Hasler" means words of wisdom on PPP. But my point is that you can share the information in a text file (by posting it, for example). What good is a file full of codes? Am I going to bother to fish out a code book so I can help someone fix a problem? I can also browse and search any disparate set of configuration files with standard tools like less and grep. Cheers, -- Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: +44 1908 653 739 Fax: +44 1908 655 151 Snail: David Wright, Earth Science Dept., Milton Keynes, England, MK7 6AA Disclaimer: These addresses are only for reaching me, and do not signify official stationery. Views expressed here are either my own or plagiarised.
