Re: Storing data and code in a Db with LISP-like interface

Bob Badour wrote:
> Alvin Ryder wrote:
>
> > Marshall Spight wrote:
> >
> >>Alvin Ryder wrote:
> >>
> >>>Marshall Spight wrote:
> >>>
> > I'm sure the reasons you have provided hold true in some cases but the
> > RM has been extended in various fields because it has well acknowledged
> > weakness. For example it isn't good at representing geographical or
> > spatial data.
>
> See? That's just plain simple ignorance. Ignorant misconceptions are not
> valid arguments.
>

No, I'm not the ignorant one.

>
> > With the RM it's easy to say "list all customers with blue cars", not
> > easy to say "list all monsters within shooting range", or "list all
> > houses within 50 miles of me".
>
> What makes you say that?
>
> Select Shooter, Monster
> From shooters, monsters
> Where Distance(Shooter,Monster) < x;
>

I am sorry I didn't spell the details out, I wasn't trying to be cryptic, but perhaps you should have recognized these queries, they are to spatial databases what supplier-parts are to the simpler relational world.

You can't shoot monsters hiding in the cupboard or behind walls.

The topology is not suppose to be ignored, you are suppose to take into account walls and boundaries. The representation of such data requires a collection of co-ordinates and ultimately spatial-joins and path calculations.

A better simpler example would have been:- "list all shops in my district" (and let me spell out district needs to be modeled as a polygon defined by co-ordinates, not merely some zip code hack).

>
> > I'm not talking about issues with "sql", I mean issues with the RM.
>
> But if the issues are an imaginary product of your own ignorance, you
> won't convince many of us.
>

The research is there, read it yourself, ... you work it out.

>
> >>And anyway, I wouldn't say the RM is the best tool for
> >>*everything.* Just the best tool for data management.
> >
> > Only certain kinds of data, it's not very good for: temporal, spatial,
> > logic, oo, multimedia, unstructured and document libraries,
>
> Horseshit!

Indeed. And I'm not in the slightest intimidated by your style of posting, it has made for some lively discussion I'll grant you that.

As for any computer science exchange, I was interested in hearing your views on the RM but mostly I'm hearing a lot of slagging, the noise to signal ratio is very high.

If you were to write a peer reviewed expert paper in a recognized journal on the "common misconceptions of the RM" lemme know, I'll be glad to read it (not to mock you but to genuinely hear you out).

Cheers. Received on Tue May 02 2006 - 01:38:55 CEST