Comments, Observations, and some XML file format questions

Derek Atkins warlord@MIT.EDU
27 Aug 2001 17:20:37 -0400


cbbrowne@hex.net writes:

> .. But if the connection has to be synchronous, that means that the
> SQL server has to be accessible all the time.

True, but I am also assuming the potential for multiple users
(otherwise, why not wait to add the transaction until you get home?)
Based on this assumption, you need some external serializer (read: a
server) to play that role.

If you are a lone gunman, then sure, you can serialize transactions
yourself.  But I don't consider that a wise long-term design
philosophy ;)

> The fact that /etc/init.d/postgresql probably starts it up nicely
> means that this is less of a challenge than ensuring that GnuCash is
> up and running; it would still be kind of nice to serialize the
> transactions, and so lead to not needing for any server to be
> running at all...

Honestly, if we could run without serialization, great.  But I don't
see that happening.  In fact, this cron job scares me!  What if you've
got your file open and running when the cron job hits?  Will it find
your open file and somehow convey to the running Gnucash that it needs
to add new transactions?

One approach (which has already been mentioned) is for this cron job
to add the transaction to a directory and Gnucash will read from that
directory "periodically".  Another approach, as I've suggested, is to
have an online server (such as postgres).  In either case, you do
still need some "external" serialization process.

Granted, nothing says we can't have multiple ways. :)

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
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