David Merrill <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> I'd recommend we use the standard GUID including MAC where it is
> available. If there is no MAC, then we could fallback to some
> arbitrary 48 bit pattern entered in the config table, or do without it
> entirely. After all...
>
> Q: How often would a database back-end NOT have a MAC address?
> A: Only when running a local-only application. In which case, you
> don't NEED the MAC address to guarantee uniqueness, right?!?!?
I don't think this is a good idea. We have the current GUIDs, they
work, and they're supposed to be somewhat mathematically well founded.
The problem with what you're suggesting is that we intend for GUIDs to
be *globally* unique, as in, planet (or universe-wide). If you start
using one scheme when you have a MAC address and one scheme when you
don't, there's no mathematical foundation for believing that in two
different places you won't be likely to generate the same GUID.
The reason we want these guids to be globally unique is that
eventually copies of gnucash might be talking to each other, or
storing/archiving their data in common places, etc.
At least this is why we've done what we've done up to now.
--
Rob Browning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> PGP=E80E0D04F521A094 532B97F5D64E3930
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