Jeff D wrote (to me privately):
There are pros and cons to both approaches. A database backed
option is certainly more complex. As you mentioned, if you start
going this way, I would make the Database usage an Option and not a
requirement.
Possibly, if I find a suitable database format that works on all
platforms, it wouldn't need to be an option. Otherwise I agree it
would. When saying so, I'm not thinking of SQL databases and such, but
I'm rather thinking of DBM files. As I mentioned, the stats is now
stored in such files.
Think I'd better reconsider the data _structure_ before deciding which
route to go with respect to the storage of it.
Further, I would try and use one of the Perl module libraries out
there that abstract the database access so that it isn't specific
to any one database. By doing that, users should be able to choose
whatever database they want or have access to (mySQL, PostgreSQL,
MSSQL, Oracle, whatever).
Yes, that makes sense.
Certainly you may not be able to officially support all those,
Very true. :)
at least at first try. But at least you haven't locked into a
specific DB and others that have need for a specific DB can help
you out with that support.
Sounds reasonable.
Thanks for your comments, Jeff.
/ Gunnar