Re: SQLite for contacts and relations to Org - Re: contact management in emacs

[Robert Weiner <rsw@gnu.org>]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 3032 bytes --]

Hi Jean:

A few thoughts.

1. Although I understand you do a great many things with your
database-backed Hyperscope system and I work with RDBMSes every day, I
don't really see great value in what you have shown in the context of
contact management when compared to the already existing HyRolo or
org-contacts.  We can easily add, delete, import and export contacts, we
just follow very simple conventions in creating our contacts.  We can
easily email contact files and have people apply text processing tools to
them, so it would help if you just showed examples of something that Emacs
really lacks before suggesting wrapping everything into a database system,
as I know you are a very smart guy.

2. Years ago as part of my stab at an Emacs-based IDE, InfoDock (find it on
Sourceforge), I also wrote an in-memory, file-based but fully relational
database.  The main point of which was to demonstrate direct manipulation
querying of relational tables via simple mouse clicks/key presses on
screen.  For simple queries, I found this very powerful and dirt simple for
people to do.  If that were of interest, someone could take the existing
code under infodock/id-lisp/rdb and interface it to SQLite pretty easily I
would expect and then you would have an interesting Emacs interface without
having to master SQL for basic table analysis.

-- rsw



On Mon, Oct 10, 2022 at 6:12 AM Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> wrote:

> * Quiliro Ordóñez <quiliro@riseup.net> [2022-10-09 22:10]:
> > I agree.  But the end-user did not construct this program.  It was you.
> > I coould learn how to install it.  Then, I should teach the end-user to
> > use it.  But the program was not made or installed by the end-user.  I
> > might be able to teach the end-user to modify it.  But I doubt it.
>
> I will make a package so that you just install it and can start
> managing people.
>
> > What I mean is that end-users must have an easy entry point.  Of course
> > that ease must not hide innner workings because that would disempower
> > the end-user.  How do you propose it could be implemented? (if you agree
> > it should be done this way, of course)
>
> Inner workings are pretty much hidden unless user is programmer. Emacs
> is difficult, then there is underlying Emacs Lisp, then C language,
> then operating system, and stuff.
>
> Maybe you mean somthing else with inner workings?
>
> > > I have actually shown to you how it works, so you have to imagine that
> > > all that may be part of the package. Especially with SQLite databases
> > > there is nothing to configure.
> >
> > Not much to do.  Just installing SQLite and then the program you
> > propose.
>
> I did not try any SQLite package, just used the built-in functions in
> Emacs development version. Which packag did you install?
>
> --
> Jean
>
> Take action in Free Software Foundation campaigns:
> https://www.fsf.org/campaigns
>
> In support of Richard M. Stallman
> https://stallmansupport.org/
>
>

[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 4430 bytes --]