Re: [Planner Dev] Suggestion regarding file extensions: suggesting compressed XML files.

[Steve deRosier <stevepub cal-sierra com>]

Just one comment...

Zipped up (compresed, gzip, tar, whatever) versions of nice text-based 
files drive me nuts.  Text-based files are really nice because they can 
be versioned with tools such as CVS.  Binary files (and zipping up a 
bunch of text based files is still a binary file) can't be versioned 
with CVS (well, they can, kinda... if you don't really care about 
looking at the difference between versions, and you remember to "tell" 
CVS it is a binary file you're checking in).

OpenOffice drives me nuts for this exact reason.  Everyone always says 
how great it is that OO.o has human readable XML files as their format. 
 Sorry, but no, the've got a binary file.  Granted by running it 
through unzip you get XML files (I just unziped one of my documents...7 
files and 1 directory, honestly how is that more readable than a single 
rtf file anyway?  Granted rtf is a miserable format that no one should 
ever have to read, but at least it is one single text file.  And the XML 
files that OO.o creates aren't really any more readable anyway.) but 
you've got to do that extra step and you still can't really version the 
file as a whole.

Anyway, sorry about the little rant, but I think it's importaint to 
think about this angle before deciding on the binary file format path.

Just my 2 cents.

- Steve

lincoln phipps openmutual net wrote:
> Been thinking about this and wondered if it may be nice to
> do this in the way similar to other applications,
>
> a) Create a compressed file format e.g. same as what the OpenOffice
> XML files do. e.g. call this .pxz  - Meaning Planner XML Compressed.
>
> b) Inside that .pxz file use regular XML files like myfile.planner
> (or myfile.mrproject for legacy support)
>
> c) Have Planner able to either open the .pxz or .planner (or *.mrproject
> for legacy support).
>
> The advantage of a compressed file format is that its nicer to mail
> and store and it allows some simple payload protection in checksums.
>
> The file can also be used to carry non-XML data like images or stuff
> which could be used in formatted outputs e.g. HTML pages could have
> logos which are actually carried as part of the pxz file.
>
> Thoughts ?.
> Lincoln.
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