[Freeciv-Dev] Re: commandline syntax and semantics (was: Server/ruleset unification)

[Reinier Post <rp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, Nov 04, 2001 at 05:11:59PM +0100, Daniel Sjölie wrote:

> > I prefer to have as few languages as possible.  Your HSQL (Homegrown SQL)
> > won't be SQL so it's best not to make it seem like SQL.
> 
> Hmm...
> Are you saying that this is all a bad idea or that we should use a
> "real" database instead?

It would be great to interface to a database, but you don't want to do that
while the game is running ...

> I don't agree either way... :)

No, I just stated that in order to avoid confusion, it's better to avoid
SQL syntax unless it is actuial SQL and talks to an actual database.

> I don't a real database can be used in a good way

It can.  Just look at how more powerful

  http://civserver.freeciv.org/

would be if all the game data were in a database.  You can do lots
of interesting game analysis - given the disk space, of course.

> and I don't really
> see the problem with a new language heavily inspired by sql... We don't
> need all of sql but I think being hevily inspired by the parts that solve
> the problems interesting for us here is a good thing...

Yes, I agree.  I'd prefer a 'declarative', 'SQL-like' loop, such as

  for c in cities {
    if (c.building eq "Musketeers") {
      c.building = "Settlers"
    }
  }

over a loop with explicit order:

  i = 0
  for c = cities[i] {
    [etc.]

but I would avoid SQL syntax.

None of this is very relevant at the moment.
   
> I see no point in creating a language with no similarities with any
> other language just to avoid confusion... I think most that know sql
> would prefer a sql-like language to something totally new and it
> shouldn't matter to those who don't know sql...

If you want to pick an existing language to use, I'd use a Perl subset.

> /Daniel

-- 
Reinier