Re: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite
On Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:20:09 -0700, you wrote: >Well, and English is a language used by humans to convey their >understandings to other humans :-). You can do technical >hairsplitting all you want, but the fact is that the term "flat file" >has a long history of being used to refer to text files with minimal >internal structure, no indexing, accessed with no or minimal locking, >no transactions, etc. Thats OK to me... no hairsplitting ;-) I think, that is really no problem, what is worth strenuous diskussion. Whether flat or not, this makes no important difference in this case. SQLite is a good engine... that is important to me :-) Best Regards Thomas www.thlu.de - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
Re: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite
On Tue, Sep 26, 2006 at 08:05:34PM +0200, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Maybe a structured Textfile is a flatfile, if > possibly readable as a tableview. But it is so > only in humans view and humans understanding. Well, and English is a language used by humans to convey their understandings to other humans :-). You can do technical hairsplitting all you want, but the fact is that the term "flat file" has a long history of being used to refer to text files with minimal internal structure, no indexing, accessed with no or minimal locking, no transactions, etc. -- Nathaniel -- "...these, like all words, have single, decontextualized meanings: everyone knows what each of these words means, everyone knows what constitutes an instance of each of their referents. Language is fixed. Meaning is certain. Santa Claus comes down the chimney at midnight on December 24." -- The Language War, Robin Lakoff - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
Re: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite
On Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:06:44 -0400, you wrote: Hello >I've noticed that more than one contributor to this list has referred to >sqlite as a "flat file database." I had always thought of a flat file as a >file composed of single table of records, with records defined either by >fixed-width allocations or by some sort of delimiter (e.g., comma-separated >files). What's about a flatfile? Is a SQLite-File really more than a Flatfile? Is a DBase-III-DB more than a Flatfile? What's about a car? Is a Ferrari really more than a car? Maybe some people think so. I think, a Ferrari is only a car too. And every File created by me with any Application and lying on the Disk on my PC is a singlefile, or a flatfile. Maybe some people can see the differences between a flatfile and a single-file. I cannot. Maybe a structured Textfile is a flatfile, if possibly readable as a tableview. But it is so only in humans view and humans understanding. A SQLite-File is equally structured, but only in SQlite's view and understanding. I distinguish this by way to access. A flatfile is accessible directly to me, a Client-Server-based DB only indirect. Only via a provider-connect to a server-instance, who handle my access to the DB, completely processed by another machine. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it is even philosophical problem. I have no problem, is a SQLite-File a Flatfile or not ;-) Best Regards Thomas www.thlu.de - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
Re: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite
In a project team I was on recently, the PM, and some other team members seemed to think "database" meant either Access, or client-server (Oracle/MS SQL Server). They kept wanting to "access the database directly". I ended-up telling them if they think of this database as if it were a "flat file", they'd have a better understanding of why they couldn't just connect to it (it's isolated on a Webserver). Everybody seemed to accept it without further challenge. At least in this case, that over-simplification worked just fine ;-) -Clark - Original Message From: Fred Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: sqlite-users@sqlite.org Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 2:13:10 PM Subject: RE: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite Unless you have a very funny shaped disk drive all the files are "Flat" :-) I tend to agree stating SQLite is a "Flat file" somewhat oversimplifies things to me as my definition of a "flat file" is a simple sequential set of data written in no particular order and retrievable only by opening the file and reading sequentially from start to finish to seek out a particular data item. Fred > -Original Message- > From: Griggs, Donald [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 3:07 PM > To: sqlite-users@sqlite.org > Subject: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite > > > > I've noticed that more than one contributor to this list has > referred to > sqlite as a "flat file database." I had always thought of a > flat file as a > file composed of single table of records, with records > defined either by > fixed-width allocations or by some sort of delimiter (e.g., > comma-separated > files). > > The article below seems to agree, though a more "broad" > definition would > also include simple tables with no relationships. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat-file > > By either definition, it would seem that an sqlite database > file is far, far > from flat. > > My purpose is not to argue terms for their own sake, but instead: >1) If I'm correct, then it could really confuse those new > to sqlite into > thinking it very different from the relational, b-tree > indexed database that > it is, or >2) If instead, I'm unaware of another popular use of the > term "flat file" > -- then I'd be glad to learn this. > > > > [Opinions are my own, not those of my company] > > -- > --- > To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > -- > --- > - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
Re: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite
Fred Williams wrote: Unless you have a very funny shaped disk drive all the files are "Flat" :-) Actually, none of the files on a hard disk are "flat", since they are stored on circular tracks on the surface of the platters. Those on the outer cylinders of the disk will be flatter than those on the inner cylinders, but they are still definitely curved. ;-) Of course, this doesn't apply to files stored in flash memory. Those files are really very "flat" unless you have an electron microscope to look at the memory chip. :-) Dennis Cote - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
RE: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite
Unless you have a very funny shaped disk drive all the files are "Flat" :-) I tend to agree stating SQLite is a "Flat file" somewhat oversimplifies things to me as my definition of a "flat file" is a simple sequential set of data written in no particular order and retrievable only by opening the file and reading sequentially from start to finish to seek out a particular data item. Fred > -Original Message- > From: Griggs, Donald [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 3:07 PM > To: sqlite-users@sqlite.org > Subject: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite > > > > I've noticed that more than one contributor to this list has > referred to > sqlite as a "flat file database." I had always thought of a > flat file as a > file composed of single table of records, with records > defined either by > fixed-width allocations or by some sort of delimiter (e.g., > comma-separated > files). > > The article below seems to agree, though a more "broad" > definition would > also include simple tables with no relationships. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat-file > > By either definition, it would seem that an sqlite database > file is far, far > from flat. > > My purpose is not to argue terms for their own sake, but instead: >1) If I'm correct, then it could really confuse those new > to sqlite into > thinking it very different from the relational, b-tree > indexed database that > it is, or >2) If instead, I'm unaware of another popular use of the > term "flat file" > -- then I'd be glad to learn this. > > > > [Opinions are my own, not those of my company] > > -- > --- > To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > -- > --- > - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
Re: [sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite
Griggs, Donald wrote: I've noticed that more than one contributor to this list has referred to sqlite as a "flat file database." I had always thought of a flat file as a file composed of single table of records, with records defined either by fixed-width allocations or by some sort of delimiter (e.g., comma-separated files). The article below seems to agree, though a more "broad" definition would also include simple tables with no relationships. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat-file By either definition, it would seem that an sqlite database file is far, far from flat. My purpose is not to argue terms for their own sake, but instead: 1) If I'm correct, then it could really confuse those new to sqlite into thinking it very different from the relational, b-tree indexed database that it is, or 2) If instead, I'm unaware of another popular use of the term "flat file" -- then I'd be glad to learn this. [Opinions are my own, not those of my company] - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - "Single File" would be a more appropriate description, although that is not strictly correct since there are also journal files associated. - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
[sqlite] The term "flat-file" as applied to sqlite
I've noticed that more than one contributor to this list has referred to sqlite as a "flat file database." I had always thought of a flat file as a file composed of single table of records, with records defined either by fixed-width allocations or by some sort of delimiter (e.g., comma-separated files). The article below seems to agree, though a more "broad" definition would also include simple tables with no relationships. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat-file By either definition, it would seem that an sqlite database file is far, far from flat. My purpose is not to argue terms for their own sake, but instead: 1) If I'm correct, then it could really confuse those new to sqlite into thinking it very different from the relational, b-tree indexed database that it is, or 2) If instead, I'm unaware of another popular use of the term "flat file" -- then I'd be glad to learn this. [Opinions are my own, not those of my company] - To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
