On Sun, 2011-02-06 at 15:48 -0800, les wrote: > On Thu, 2011-02-03 at 22:02 -0430, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote: > > On Thu, 2011-02-03 at 15:04 -0800, les wrote: > > > With that said, here is a snippet from the gconf stuff for evolution: > > > > > > Directly from the file: > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > <?xml version="1.0"?> > > > <group uid="1162801071.10728.17@localhost.localdomain" name="On This > > > Computer" base_uri="local:" readonly="no"><source > > > uid="1162801071.10728.18@localhost.localdomain" name="Personal" > > > uri="file:///home/lesh/.evolution/addressbook/local/system" > > > relative_uri="system"><properties><property name="pilot-sync" > > > value="true"/><property name="use-in-contacts-calendar" > > > value="0"/></properties></source><source > > > uid="1163129951.18548.0@localhost.localdomain" name="Personal2" > > > relative_uri="1163129951.18548.0@localhost.localdomain"><properties><property > > > name="completion" value="true"/><property name="remember_password" > > > value="false"/></properties></source></group> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > How many of you can read and understand this bit of code? > > > > > > I especially dislike the ##########.#####.#@localhost.localdomain > > > filename. This has no significance to the job being accomplished. As > > > much as I rail against "self documenting code", this is just beyond > > > useless. It smacks of trying to use obfuscation for security, which > > > has > > > been proven over and over to not aid security. Other than that it has > > > no value, no significance and adds no real value to the process being > > > described. > > > > Two points here: > > > > 1) You seem to think that because this is in text form, it's supposed to > > be read by humans. AFAIK it's not. The format is XML as a convenience to > > make it portable and easy to parse by machine. The visual layout is > > irrelevant (and can be generated by a pretty-printer if it's ever > > needed). > > > > 2) The ##########.#####.#@localhost.localdomain stuff is not meant for > > obfuscated "security", but as a way of generating a unique ID (not a > > filename as you state). You don't say where this snippet comes from so > > it's hard to say, but it looks very similar to the Message-ID header > > found in mail messages. > > > > poc > > > > _______________________________________________ > > evolution-list mailing list > > evolution-list@gnome.org > > To change your list options or unsubscribe, visit ... > > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/evolution-list > > But unfortunately poc, machines do occasionally screw up, as has > happened with my address book, which is where this code snippet came > from, and then some human has to clean it up, analyze the failure, fix > the problem, confirm that it works, possibly beta test it, get approval > from the team (should one exist) that the code does its correct > operation, and be maintained into the future. Poor practices, whether > machine readable or human readable are still poor practices. If the > person responsible were working for me, I have lots of similar examples > I could let him expend his energy on until he or she realized the > problem that this presents. > > I do hope that you are putting me on.
I note that you avoid addressing either of the points I raised in my reply, so frankly I don't think this is going anywhere. I've been using and programming Unix and Linux since 1975, so I think I recognize when someone is trying to change the subject. poc _______________________________________________ evolution-list mailing list evolution-list@gnome.org To change your list options or unsubscribe, visit ... http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/evolution-list
