Re: OOP real life example (was Re: Why is MySQL more chosen

On Sun, 11 Aug 2002, Don Baccus wrote:

> Obviously it would require extending SQL, but since you in part argue
> that SQL sucks in regard to the relational model this shouldn't matter,
> right?

Well, if we're going to go so far as to get rid of SQL, we can go all
the way with the D&D thing, and VIEWs will no longer be syntatic sugar
because views and tables will be the same thing. (I'll leave you how
specify physical storage as an exercise for the reader. :-))

But anyway, I have no particularly huge objection to syntatic sugar
alone. I do have objections to it when it's not saving much typing. (It
is in this case, but that could be fixed with better automatic support
of view updates.)

But my real objection is when it makes things more confusing, rather
than less, which I think is definitely happening here. I've never
seen a rigourous explanation of our model of table inheritance,
nor any model that was more obviously correct than another. And
the parallel drawn with inheritance in OO languages is a false
parallel that adds to the confusion. (For example, the distinction
between types and instances of types is critical in OO theory. What are
the TI equivalants of this?)

All this is borne out by the regular questions one sees about
inheritance in the mailing lists. I'll admit a good part of it is
due to the broken implementation of inheritance, but all of the
problems I've ever seen are easily solved with very simple relational
solutions. Maybe the inheritance thing is causing people to turn
off the relational parts of their brain or something.

> I give up. Your right hand waves your dick more frequently and with
> much more vigor than mine.

First you ask for more meaningful discussion. Then you make comments
like this. Hello?

If you really don't intend to stop completely with the insulting comments,
let me know and I can killfile you and we'll be done with this.

cjs
--
Curt Sampson <cjs(at)cynic(dot)net> +81 90 7737 2974 http://www.netbsd.org
Don't you know, in this new Dark Age, we're all light. --XTC