Re: By The Dawn's Normal Light

From: Marshall Spight <mspight_at_dnai.com>
Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2004 18:53:46 GMT
Message-ID: <ZMxed.303809$D%.296516_at_attbi_s51>


"Dawn M. Wolthuis" <dwolt_at_tincat-group.comREMOVE> wrote in message news:clc0k2$ed1$1_at_news.netins.net...

>

> There are two types of collections -- "files" and "nested lists". The
> nested lists may have one or more attribute types and zero to many attribute
> values. Whether the user cares about the ordering or not, the database
> orders these, while the files are keyed, and therefore logically ordered.
> So, both top level structures (files) and their substructures are logically
> ordered.

It's funny: the RM has no facilities for handling lists; the Pick model has no facilities for handling relations.

Sometimes you have ordered data, and sometimes you have unordered data. Which primitive operations you want depends on which one you have. Each model handles one well and ignores the other.

I propose that the ideal model would handle both, and have relatively simple ways of transforming one into the other.

Lists are simpler and sometimes therefore the better choice. Relations are more powerful, but that can mean more complexity than you need.

Marshall Received on Sat Oct 23 2004 - 20:53:46 CEST

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