[pacman-dev] Tar backend for local db

[Alexander Rødseth]

Hi,

I would recommend sqlite. It is really fast (faster than mysql and
postgresql, when we're not talking about huge datasets), and just a
small dependency to add. It's also used by several other projects, so
it's likely that it would be installed as a dependency on a system
sooner or later. My previous workplace used tar as a sort of database
format for geological files, and tar files only worked okay, not
great. When making a program read tar files directly from within a
program, instead of extracting it first with the tar utility, it's
cumbersome, and not KISS. Sqlite is well tested, and used for several
projects (for instance firefox, not that firefox is a good example of
speedy execution times). Also, one could argue that sqlite is a better
fit for pacman, since it's like it was made to do this job, rather
than tar, a tool that was originally made for making backups to tapes.

I agree with Klaus-J. Wolf here, and am convinced that you would
decrease the time it takes more by sqlite than with tar.

Just my 4 nibbles.

--
Best regards,
  Alexander Rødseth
  xyproto / trontonic / TU