[GNC-dev] Deprecation of XML file

[Jim DeLaHunt]

On 2020-09-13 23:11, Stefan Bluhm wrote:

> Is there a reason to keep supporting the XML file in future?…


I will give you three of my reasons for being glad I can store my 
GnuCash data in XML form:

1. All the data is in one data file in a known location. If I want to 
back my bookkeeping up specially, or move it to another computer, I know 
exactly which file has all the data.

2. I have in the past fixed problems by operating on the XML format 
data. A risky move, but one which does open possibilities which the 
GnuCash app itself cannot offer.

3. Data longevity. My bookkeeping is data which I would like to keep 
meaningful and intact for decades. Even if the GnuCash app stops 
working, I have some confidence that XML tools will survive longer, and 
in any case the XML format of the data is open to tools of the future. 
By contrast, data in databases generally stops being usable when the 
database software stops running.