[gurps] Building a VehicleML

[Bryan]

On Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 2:47 AM, Gerald roguebfl Grenier
<roguebfl at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 9:25 PM, Bryan <brakeb at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Would it not be easier to setup a database, create your tables and
>> such and then output your tables to XML?
>>
>> I mean, this is where you are heading to.  XML and DB kind of go hand
>> in hand.  Seems to me that making a DB would be easier.  Using
>> something like Postgresql (low memory, low footprint) would be your
>> best bet.  Plus XML is easy to import or export.  You can then
>> web-enable it through the DB if you wanted.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Bryan
>
> Actually XML is a text based database (remember a spread sheet is just
> a flat field database as well)
>

I am aware of this, that is why I mentioned the database option. And
spreadsheets are rudimentary databases.

> while SQL querying for a database is quite powerful, requires firs
> that you have access to a SQL server, and a lot of people can't get
> access to a SQL because they dont have that level of acess provied by
> their host. XML/XSL does not require a SQL server.

You don't have to use a full-blown DB.  SQLITE is available, as well
as the berkeley db,  so you don't need a lot of overhead.

>
> It should be noted the "database" for the game Civilization IV is XML
>

I don't get your point...  Having never played the game, I can't
comment on that.

> the upside to XML is the data is human readability, so you can go an
> in tweak a value with not more the a plain text reader like notepad.

I agree with the readability.  Do you need a host?  Can't you run
something on your local box?  It would make maintaining it easier for
him to maintain.  The DB doesn't have to be forward facing.  He could
use it to generate the XML, then post the text files on the net.  The
database doesn't have to be running all the time even.  And if you
aren't unix savvy, I've used MySQL in Windows.  It's okay...

Bryan