From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Miles Bader Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: [Fwd: [arch-users] Re: Gud lord!] Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:16:17 -0400 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: <20030610201617.GA26760@gnu.org> References: <20030610160057.9115.JMBARRANQUERO@laley.wke.es> <200306101437.h5AEbxHI032125@rum.cs.yale.edu> <20030610165211.911A.JMBARRANQUERO@laley.wke.es> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1055276221 10304 80.91.224.249 (10 Jun 2003 20:17:01 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 20:17:01 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Stefan Monnier Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Tue Jun 10 22:16:59 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 19PpXw-0002eT-00 for ; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 22:16:44 +0200 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.12 #1 (Debian)) id 19Ppsb-00089j-00 for ; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 22:38:05 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.20) id 19PpYu-0003xc-F7 for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:17:44 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.20) id 19PpYY-0003n0-30 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:17:22 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.20) id 19PpYP-0003JX-3j for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:17:14 -0400 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([199.232.76.164]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.20) id 19PpXX-0002d6-UG for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:16:19 -0400 Original-Received: from miles by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.20) id 19PpXW-0007LY-1I; Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:16:18 -0400 Original-To: Juanma Barranquero Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20030610165211.911A.JMBARRANQUERO@laley.wke.es> User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.28i Blat: Foop Original-cc: Jonathan Walther Original-cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1b5 Precedence: list List-Id: Emacs development discussions. List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Archive: List-Unsubscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:15005 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:15005 On Tue, Jun 10, 2003 at 04:55:44PM +0200, Juanma Barranquero wrote: > > It is a problem because you can't look inside with the usual tools, > > so you end up locked with a specific set of tools and you have to > > use them to get anything done. > > Yes, but that's ameliorated if the format is well documented. Well, no it's not. If writing tools to get at the data is hard or risky then things still suck, no matter how well documented the format is. For many users, of course, it's the same either way, but one of the big attractions of CVS was exactly that what it does is quite understandable, and when all else failed, you could use emacs to edit the repository... > > And when there's a bug, it can end up pretty disastrous (basically, the > > big-binary-blob implements something like a file-system, so a bug is like > > a bug in your kernel that can trash your entire file system). > > Sure. Backups are always needed. Um, that's not exactly a comforting answer... I'd rather have things _not get trashed_! Failing that, I'd like the damage to be limited, and recoverable, and the more I can do this without using special tools, the better (special tools are great when they work of course, but ...). -Miles -- `There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'