Beefy Boxes and Bandwidth Generously Provided by pair Networks
XP is just a number
 
PerlMonks  

Re: Why Perl does not support database access through core modules?

by greenFox (Vicar)
on Jan 21, 2004 at 08:03 UTC ( [id://322810]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to Why Perl does not support database access through core modules?

Historically Perl was a Unix language and the core modules reflect (to some extent) it's heritage. I think Berkeley DB (as mentioned by Hardburn) is supported on most (all?) Unixen whereas you would not expect other databases to be there. Most of the places where I run Perl (Unix boxes for $$$ companies and govt institutions) don't run any databases and never will. I would guess that is the normal situation rather than the exception.

Note I'm not arguing in favour of DBI/DBD not being included in the future, just speculating as to why they haven't been up to now. I will trust the Perl dev process to decide if they should be included :)

--
Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought. -Basho

  • Comment on Re: Why Perl does not support database access through core modules?

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Re: Why Perl does not support database access through core modules?
by hardburn (Abbot) on Jan 21, 2004 at 14:28 UTC

    Most of the places where I run Perl (Unix boxes for $$$ companies and govt institutions) don't run any databases and never will. I would guess that is the normal situation rather than the exception.

    Really? No databases, whatsoever. Not even some xSV files?

    I would hardly say that your example is a normal situation. Even if it is, I doubt it will stay that way. Certainly there is a strong move twards using RDBMS systems in web programming, where Perl has a strong following. Maybe the relational model isn't perfect for all problems, but some kind of DBMS is a strong tool to have.

    ----
    I wanted to explore how Perl's closures can be manipulated, and ended up creating an object system by accident.
    -- Schemer

    : () { :|:& };:

    Note: All code is untested, unless otherwise stated

      Really? No databases, whatsoever. Not even some xSV files?

      In the context of the discussion I was considering DBMS and that is what people usually mean when they say database, we certainly don't have any DBA's looking after flat files :) If you want to argue that a file system or a flat file is a database then, again in the context of the discussion, Perl already has plenty of support in the core, no other modules required :) There are many types of servers which need no database for example; firewalls, mail gateways, proxy servers, web servers, applications servers... the last two may be operating as a front end to a database but run no database themselves.

      --
      Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought. -Basho

        Putting firewall logs into a DBMS isn't such a bad idea (analyzing them with SQL can be really handy), though I wouldn't want to put the DBMS on the firewall itself. A firewall should be a firewall, and nothing else, or else you're missing the point. Proxy servers are much the same, depending on what your goals with it are.

        Web and Application servers might run their own database in small or medium scale deployments. In large systems, there are obvious advantages to running the DBMS on a dedicated system with a fast network connection to the system that actualy gets the traffic.

        In any case, I would argue that if you're using an xSV file, you should probably migrate twards an SQLite solution instead. It's faster, not particularly more difficult, and will make any future migration twards a full RDBMS easier.

        ----
        I wanted to explore how Perl's closures can be manipulated, and ended up creating an object system by accident.
        -- Schemer

        : () { :|:& };:

        Note: All code is untested, unless otherwise stated

Log In?
Username:
Password:

What's my password?
Create A New User
Domain Nodelet?
Node Status?
node history
Node Type: note [id://322810]
help
Chatterbox?
and the web crawler heard nothing...

How do I use this?Last hourOther CB clients
Other Users?
Others making s'mores by the fire in the courtyard of the Monastery: (4)
As of 2024-04-19 22:14 GMT
Sections?
Information?
Find Nodes?
Leftovers?
    Voting Booth?

    No recent polls found