[Info-vax] Long uptime cut short by Hurricane Sandy

[AEF]

On Feb 5, 10:48 am, Stephen Hoffman <seaoh... at hoffmanlabs.invalid>
wrote:
> On 2013-02-05 02:17:28 +0000, AEF said:
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> > On Feb 3, 3:31 pm, Stephen Hoffman <seaoh... at hoffmanlabs.invalid>
> > wrote:
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> >> Environment variables aren't a direct match to logical names.
> >> Similarities, yes, but there also are substantive differences, too.
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> > Close enough for this. I just need to be able to use the variable as
> > part of a path.
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> > Seems to me that at the most basic level, logical names are
> > environment variables, in a sense anyway. Now, they have a much richer
> > structure, with the different tables of varying scope, the various
> > access modes, search lists, and what not. Their chief use is in
> > device- and file-specs, of course. But they're also used in MAIL, for
> > queues, for storing data, and more. So it's just a matter of what's
> > translating them in what context. There's the automatic translation
> > when part of a generalized file-spec, and automatic translation in
> > certain other contexts. That's all different from environment
> > variables in Unix. But I don't need all that for this. I just need the
> > ability to have something I can use in a path.
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> So you are seeking a key-value data store, something that logical names
> classically excel at stinking at.

I'm not familiar with the term key-value data store. And I take it
you're saying that for this purpose, logical names stink well.

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> Logical names got us the morass that is the DEC C feature logical
> names, after all.
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> Sure, it works.
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> At least until you trip into some other user; a collision.
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> Or you need to scan all keys, as both VMS and environment variables
> lack wildcards.

In TO.COM you can set it so that all its logical names start with
TO_ . This should avoid a collision. Instead of TO_0, TO_1, TO_2,
etc., I prefer HERE, LAST, 2BACK, 3BACK, . . . . They're much easier
and faster to type, and that has never cause me a problem. If it does
cause a problem you can instead use the TO_ versions. So where's the
problem?

> Upgrades can be fun, where these are added or removed; there's no
> "attachment" back to the application.
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> No namespaces, for that matter.
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> There are other issues.
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> Environment variables aren't all that good at this, either.
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> Some systems use plists here, some use rc or config files, others more
> directly use K-V data stores, and there are a number of those.
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> A K-V data store also means you have the app and (maybe) the data file
> to tow around, and nothing else, too.  No particular set-up, and you
> don't need to get your environment variables loaded into the process.
> Stick the tool in your path, and stick the database... somewhere... and
> you're good to go.
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> --
> Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC

AEF