Comments on: My kind of application needs a database http://mesquilla.com/2009/01/24/my-kind-of-application-needs-a-database/ Messaging with Mozilla by rkent Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:30:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: rkent http://mesquilla.com/2009/01/24/my-kind-of-application-needs-a-database/comment-page-1/#comment-59 rkent Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:57:57 +0000 http://mesquilla.com/?p=160#comment-59 RDF is certainly the technology that tries to tie together multiple web datastores. But is has become "uncool" for a variety of reasons. I've seriously looked though at porting the Redland RDF library into the Mozilla environment to give me a more robust software subsystem to play with that. But I picture the war against data fragmentation to be one of integrating many sources into a common framework, such as the Mozilla mailnews (Thunderbird) platform. As for data storage, though I haven't tried it yet, generally I picture using a local SQL-based engine (such as the SQLITE-based gloda in Thunderbird) to provide the integration capability, with the canonical storages all being simple attribute/value pairs (or triples) stored in a variety of different formats and locations. But I have not actually faced the real issues yet. RDF is certainly the technology that tries to tie together multiple web datastores. But is has become “uncool” for a variety of reasons. I’ve seriously looked though at porting the Redland RDF library into the Mozilla environment to give me a more robust software subsystem to play with that.

But I picture the war against data fragmentation to be one of integrating many sources into a common framework, such as the Mozilla mailnews (Thunderbird) platform. As for data storage, though I haven’t tried it yet, generally I picture using a local SQL-based engine (such as the SQLITE-based gloda in Thunderbird) to provide the integration capability, with the canonical storages all being simple attribute/value pairs (or triples) stored in a variety of different formats and locations.

But I have not actually faced the real issues yet.

]]> By: Kris Walker http://mesquilla.com/2009/01/24/my-kind-of-application-needs-a-database/comment-page-1/#comment-58 Kris Walker Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:46:03 +0000 http://mesquilla.com/?p=160#comment-58 I'd be really interested in hearing some ideas on a datastore that overcomes data fragmentation. First, how do we combine data from different domains, into one domain? And then how to we modify it, and then tease it back apart to send it off to the remote service it came from (assuming that many are push/pull services, and not just consuming services). I think it's worth taking a look at web hooks for some ideas. Second, I've sea-sawed back and forth on the implementation between a description model, like RDF, data entities (like OO classes or constructors), and an object-relational mapping scheme. I really like RDF, but I've never seen it implemented in a reasonable way. On the other hand, relational databases seem to be overstaying their welcome in the age of fragmentation. However it is implemented, I think the data models must be extensible and dynamic for this to work. I’d be really interested in hearing some ideas on a datastore that overcomes data fragmentation.

First, how do we combine data from different domains, into one domain? And then how to we modify it, and then tease it back apart to send it off to the remote service it came from (assuming that many are push/pull services, and not just consuming services). I think it’s worth taking a look at web hooks for some ideas.

Second, I’ve sea-sawed back and forth on the implementation between a description model, like RDF, data entities (like OO classes or constructors), and an object-relational mapping scheme. I really like RDF, but I’ve never seen it implemented in a reasonable way. On the other hand, relational databases seem to be overstaying their welcome in the age of fragmentation.

However it is implemented, I think the data models must be extensible and dynamic for this to work.

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