Corrupted database over network - WinNT

[Hector-8]

Suppose you choose yourself a car because it's advertized as powerful and
secure. You're driving your new car when suddenly the wheel is jammed and
you crash into a wall. The car manufacturer is informed of that issue, and
quietly answers that you must fix the problem yourself, it's not his fault
if the roads have turns and bends...

1) the car manufacturer is blatantly insulting you.
2) other uninformed persons will also crash themselves.
3) it's illogical that each driver should fix the problem for themselves,
because most drivers know nothing about mechanics, and before all because
the problem should be fixed at the car factory.


As I've said, I have no way to correct this Metakit bug. But I do care about
my user's data. I was thus forced to place big warnings on my site, and live
with it. All I ask is that Jean-Claude places big warnings on his site too,
and live with it.

Now I've said all I had to say. I won't reply anymore. Or this discussion
will never calm down.

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[Hector-8]

> Open source is mainly a community, but it is also risk (re-read
> the metakit license, in particular the line WITHOUT
> WARRANTY OF ANY KIND).

I have no problem with that. I never said that I would sue Metakit for
having lost my data.


> You could have used ctree+ or mysql embedded

I chose Metakit because:
1/ it is an excellent library that perfectly suits my needs.
2/ it's open source and the author has very good reputation of seriousness
(hence my disappointment).


> Even if I agree that it is a windows bug, I also agree that he should not
> have answered that.

Thank you.


> But in the real world, you have what you pay for.

I can't pay no dollar, so I don't ask anything to anyone. Except the warning
on the site, of course. It's not because you write "WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY
KIND" that you can play with people's data integrity.


> Now you are free to criticize J.C. but be aware that
> this choice is probably not very fair, and also probably
> not what will give you the solution.

As I already said, I know perfectly... but I indulged myself.

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[Steve Blinkhorn]

>>>Hector@... said:
 >
 > I chose Metakit because:
 > 1/ it is an excellent library that perfectly suits my needs.
 > 2/ it's open source and the author has very good reputation of seriousness
 > (hence my disappointment).
 >

What you have run up against is the real evil of the proprietary
nature of the dominant desktop operating system.  The bug, if that's
what it is, is in Windows: it does not cater for the generality of use
to which it may be put, which involves a lot of us in chasing round
finding fixes for our applications (and making damn sure we never
never never *trust* Windows to behave as expected).   I just spent the
best part of a week fixing some of our own code that broke, after
several years of flawless use, because the customer started running
software built for Win2000 on XP SP2.   Nothing to do with MetaKit,
same code on various Unices and everything from MS-DOS 2.0 to Win2000
has run with no such error for 18 years.

If I had had the source to Windows, that is what I would have patched.
As it is, Micro$oft attempt to make the world revolve around them, to
conform to their choices and pettifogging 'philosophy'.   So I had to
write a workaround, which complicates my code unnecessarily.

My experience in general with Windows networking (and other aspects of
it as an OS) is that you should never trust it not to cache what you
would rather it did not cache, to cache what you expect it to cache,
or not to have undisclosed limitation, flaws and "features".

I tend to agree with jcw that data sharing over a network is best done
using a client-server approach: there are too many lines of code you
will never get to see in between otherwise, and trusting them without
checking is perilous.

And please cut the histrionics.  This is a courteous mutual assistance
forum.   Those of us who consume more than we are able to supply owe
at least a certain politesse, not to say gratitude, for the generosity
of others.

--
Steve Blinkhorn <steve@...>
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