The recent discussions of SQLAlchemy, http://www.sqlalchemy.org/ and 
camlistore, https://camlistore.org/ have been fascinating.  Both look like 
excellent projects that may have important benefits to Leo.

Here, however, I'll explain why it looks to me like no db of any kind can 
possibly solve the fundamental problem of reliably associating gnx's (or 
equivalently uA's) with nodes in **foreign files**, that is, nodes created 
by @auto, @org-mode or @vim-outline trees.

The essence of the problem is easily stated.  We assume (as part of the 
meaning of @auto, @org-mode or @vim-outline trees) that people who do 
**not** use Leo will modify such foreign files.  If this were not so, we 
could just use @file and have no problems at all recreating gnx's, clone 
links and uA's. There seems to be **no way** to update any db (of whatever 
kind, local or global, and regardless of the keys used) when non-Leonine 
users modify the file.

In particular, Fidel mentioned some scheme of "tracking" changes to nodes. 
That will work when we Leo users modify the file, but how could such scheme 
possibly track changes when non-Leonine users modify the file? 

Instead, it looks like we must accept the possibility that changes to a 
foreign file will modify a node in ways that will break *any* possible 
bookmark (or key) to the node.  That can't be helped.  The recent posts 
about bookmark clones suggest workarounds, namely that bookmark node will 
remain uncloned.  Not exactly the end of the world.

In short, I see no way to track changes to nodes made by people who do not 
use Leo.  Given that fundamental fact, it seems that bookmarks are the way 
to go.  We'll want to create flexible ways of connecting bookmarks to 
nodes, but we must accept the fact that bookmark nodes might remain 
unconnected (uncloned).

Your comments, please.

Edward

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