From: | Aaron Optimizer Digulla |
Date: | 20 Sep 2000 at 15:23:21 |
Subject: | Re: [Re: AMIOPEN: GUI Standardization] |
On Wed, Sep 20, 2000 at 06:24:32AM -0700, Stephen Lee wrote:
> Juan, the COFEE editor concept for config files has some real merit and
> functional uses.
>
> Stephen/Initium7
>
> "Juan Carlos Marcos Rodr�guez" <jcmarcos@datavoice.es> wrote:
> From: Rafael Vicar�a Alloza <rafael.vicaria@ibm.net>
>
> > *all* configuration files should be ASCII, so humans can read
> > and understand it. No exceptions.
>
> Or, all configuration files could use a binary format, and only one tool to
> edit them all. There could be advantages, like being impossible to make
> syntax mistakes, and with some work, the universal config file editor (COFEE
> 8^) could provide a tree structure to see settings for all programs, swap
> them quickly for testing purposes, take care to notify applications that use
> them, and functions to copy and paste blocks, automate backups and the like.
> Now, if someone thinks I'm talking Windows registry here, perhaps that's the
> idea, only better. What do you think?
The first thing I think is "Windows Registry" ? Problems:
- You can't use the config file on another system
(endianess problems, etc).
- Binary formats are always hard to extend
- If something goes wrong (and your editor cannot load
the file anymore), then the whole config is lost.