[RndTbl] GnuCash crash on secret payload in XML file

[Hartmut W Sager]

Oh, as for the database back-ends to GnuCash, note that this is still
officially experimental, with no guarantee of data integrity (the GnuCash
site says "data loss can occur").  Other than that, I concur with your
comments re the database back-ends.
​ ​
Hartmut W Sager - Tel +1-204-339-8331


On 13 March 2017 at 21:47, Hartmut W Sager <hwsager at marityme.net> wrote:

> > Usable compared to hand-rolled FoxPro?
>
> I had to read that a few times to conclude that it's a (FoxPro)
> compliment.  :)
>
> Thanks hugely for the further info and links.  That "backward compatible
> extensions via KVP's" is a ridiculously compromised architecture, and has
> me seriously considering not pursuing GnuCash any further.  Since GnuCash
> updates are always available for free (and include a boatload of bug fixes
> every time), there is not the slightest reason to maintain this backward
> compatibility, just forward compatibility (old file can be loaded into next
> newer GnuCash version, but not saved backward).
>
> I have also been considering several other "roll my own" options for the
> last few years, notably MySQL/MariaDB/PHP.  Being a heavy-duty algorithmic
> programmer, I am very intolerant of inadequate software, and "roll my own"
> often becomes my best choice.
>
> If you're wondering why I have to leave FoxPro, it's because Microsoft is
> letting it disintegrate, despite it still being officially a currently
> supported product.  In fact, as I rudely discovered a year ago, it wouldn't
> even install on Windows 10 without a special patch being run first.  I.e.,
> Microsoft didn't even test the installability (let alone proper operation)
> on Windows 10 of a currently supported product of their own!
>
> GnuCash is visually very well done, though, I must say!  And it is quite
> feature-laden.
>
> Hartmut W Sager - Tel +1-204-339-8331 <%28204%29%20339-8331>
>
>
> On 13 March 2017 at 19:03, Glen Ditchfield <GJDitchfield at acm.org> wrote:
>
>> On Monday, March 13, 2017 6:27:53 PM CDT Hartmut W Sager wrote:
>> > Oooh, thanks, this is valuable!  I will experiment further with what you
>> > did.  And I presume that this is within the specs or design intentions
>> of
>> > GnuCash, so that it should remain usable in further GnuCash versions?
>>
>> Usable compared to hand-rolled FoxPro?
>>
>> But, yeah, I'd go with it.  "It's been the (unfortunate) practice through
>> most
>> of Gnucash 2's development to use KVP to add or extend new variables to
>> Gnucash because doing so allows older versions of Gnucash to open the data
>> file."  (http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/what-is-the-table-slot
>> s-good-for-td4658122.html)
>>
>> Keep in mind that GnuCash has database back-ends, too.  I wouldn't trust
>> the
>> front end to handle anything unless all the back ends support it.  There's
>> some weak documentation at https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/
>> GnuCash_XML_format
>> and https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/SQL.
>>
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>
>
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