Re: ASCII data files

From: Sean Butler (sbutler@DEVEAST.COM)
Date: 12/10/97


        I did not ask this question for my own benefit, on our mud we already
use ascii files.  I was asking why there has not been a stock release of
circle that uses only ASCII to record its data.

        There seem to be quite a few people who run into the DO NOT CHANGE THIS
line in structs header and are turned off to making changes to player
structures.

        As far as the newbie coder thing goes, I am not sure that a complete
overhaul of the booting system is something that a newbie coder really wants,
nor has the ability, to do.  However, if it was done for him, he might
understand data loading routines better.

        As for security, it seems that you can give coders, and whoever
needs it, access to your src directory, but give only yourself access to
your lib directory.  This of course assumes you have more than one account
on the machine.

        Disk space as one person pointed out should rarely be a consideration.
If a person cannot afford the disk space to run a mud, he is in real trouble
anyway! Disks are not that expensive, and muds really aren't that disk hungry.
The mud I am coding using all ASCII files, a 200x200 wilderness, with all the
source and .o files uses up 56meg of disk space.  I am sorry if you think
thats alot, because it just isn't.

        What other cons can people think of?  I am very curious about this.
Usually I thought binary files were used for both space and speed.  There
are obviously benefits to not having to compare strings and parse input etc.
Where space and speed are not big factors, I would figure that flexibility
would play the largest role in deciding what methods to use.  ASCII files
are much simpler to use, and dont require big changes or conversions when
a new feaure gets added.

        Someone drum up a good argument against ASCII files in stock circle.

        Thanks. :-)

        --Sean

----

     /'''''''''''''''''\'\       The final aspiration of all coders?
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    | /* Sean Butler */ | |      Sean Butler
    |                   | |      Coder for finality.com 4000
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   \\//................\\\//


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