On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 1:34 PM, Brian O'Neill <b...@alumni.brown.edu> wrote: > RE: API method signatures changing > > That triggers another thought... > > What terminology will you use in the book to describe the data model? CQL? > > When we wrote the RefCard on DZone, we intentionally favored/used CQL > terminology. On advisement from Jonathan and Kris Hahn, we wanted to start > the process of sunsetting the legacy terms (keyspace, column family, etc.) > in favor of the more familiar CQL terms (schema, table, etc.). I've gone on > record in favor of the switch, but it is probably something worth noting in > the book since that terminology does not yet align with all the client APIs > yet. (e.g. Hector, Astyanax, etc.) > > I'm not sure when the client APIs will catch up to the new terminology, but > we may want to inquire as to future proof the recipes as much as possible.
Not just client API's but documentation as well. When I was a new user, yeah the different terminology was a bit off-putting, but it was consistent and it didn't take long to realize a CF was like a SQL table, etc. Honestly, I think using the same terms as a RDBMS does makes users think they're exactly the same thing and have the same properties... which is close enough in some cases, but dangerous in others. That said, while I found the first edition informative, I found the java/hector code examples hard to read. Part of that was because I don't know Java (I know enough other languages that I can follow along) and part of that is that Java is so verbose that it just doesn't "fit" on the printed page. I think CQL lends itself to making the book more readable to a wider audience, but I think there should be a chapter on Hector/pycassa/etc. Of course, you still need to write code around it, and if that's Java I'm not sure how much it matters. -- Aaron Turner http://synfin.net/ Twitter: @synfinatic http://tcpreplay.synfin.net/ - Pcap editing and replay tools for Unix & Windows Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -- Benjamin Franklin "carpe diem quam minimum credula postero"
