Re: data base for desktop data (couchdb?)

["Luis Matos" <luis matos ua pt>]

First, thanks for your opinion.


Em Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:56:53 +0200
 Olav Vitters <olav bkor dhs org> escreveu:
> On Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 10:24:27AM +0100, Luis Matos 
> wrote:
> > I made examples of use cases:
> >  - you can have different applications with different 
> > functionality, but 
>
> Gnome-panel (clock applet) already shows data from 
> Evolution (tasks,
> etc.. actually from evolution-data-server).

true ... but not enough. If you use other task manager, 
such as GTG ... you have nothing.
> An email is totally different from a Tomboy note. I 
> don't see how
> storing it in one thing will automatically result in 
> applications
> suddenly showing data from other applications. Further, 
> believe it is
> already possible.

imagine a mail storage backend with mail management. 
Having events associated with some storage types. New 
mail, for example.

> > i think an example for this is evolution VS (tasks, 
> > contacts, dates)[0], 
> > that uses the same data source.
>
> As it is stored in evolution-data-server. Meaning: app 
> specifically
> stores one thing there.

yep
> > so you can open a small and specialized app to write a 
> > task, but have a 
> > big app that shows you the all things.
> > ex: tomboy notes' applet VS evolution to write a note.
>
> Evolution could just as well link to some generic note 
> storing thing.
> Important bit is that to edit this you need an UI. So it 
> needs work
> anyway. Plus, evolution-data-server is optimized for the 
> type of data it
> stores. Saying 'couchdb' seems a bit easy.

you could make some data-source specifications that could 
provide applications some methods to change the data. 
ofcourse ui's have to come together.

> > Imagine, if i like evolution to manage mail, i can not 
> > like it to write 
> > notes, but i would like to see them IN evolution.
>
> Seeing notes in Evolution would require an UI which 
> shows you that.
No, evolution already has a note taking ui.

> Where those notes are stored is not so important. 
> Sharing data between
> applications seems what you're after. In that case each 
> specific type of
> application should define some common storage method.

that is what we have ... everyone defines its storage 
method. So no one uses other one's storage.
If we had a common storage method, then, all apps could 
use that storage if it is present.
For example, tomboy could use, i think, sqlite, but if the 
new storage is present, the new storage is used.

> So mail,etc in evolution-data-server. Maybe notes in 
> that as well, or
> something different. However, they don't all have to use 
> the same
> method, as long as it is shared per type of info 
> (mail/notes/etc).

maybe it can be a method.

> > i take the evolution data-base, but gnome could adopt 
> > other, specialized 
> > DB, that evolution and other could use.
> > basically, my point is that i have the same data in 
> > diferent places and 
> > not related.
>
> Anyway, not trying to stop you.. just pointing out that 
> in practice it
> isn't needed. If you want to work on this, go ahead.

thanks for your support ... i think this is something that 
could be useful. Imagine tracker, that now all search 
engines can use to search for something. It is the same 
for storage.

> Wonder how e.g. even stickynotes + gnotes + tomboy + etc 
> would share
> their data, this as stickynotes doesn't support the 
> layout options
> tomboy allows. Likely gnote+tomboy share their data 
> (clones), not sure.

maybe we could have some kind of api/data-exchange rules 
that could work this around.
stickynotes does not support layout, so we can provide it 
text without layout. or add layout to sticky notes. or 
just provide other note subsystem. Tomboy notes are 
different in purpose than sticky notes.

all kinds of problems would appear, some world conquest 
theory would come up and, in the end ... some would be 
defeated and other would rise from the dead.

Just kidding!

> --
> Regards,
> Olav

Luis F. C. Matos
Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica
Universidade de Aveiro