so the executable is now a database you can query with sql. next step is someone writing an ORM against a binary and i will simply retire.
Queryable Executables
11–20 of 83 posts
Re: Queryable Executables
#12Is it just me or does this create a huge potential security vulnerability where it’s a lot easier to trick the application into mutating itself. There’s also the alternate problem where if the file is placed in a privileged location, you won’t be able to store any state. And the final problem that each user needs their own copy of the application if it’s a multi-user application. The biggest concern for me would be t…
Simple -- you just add a custom SQLite VFS that ensures particular SQLite pages are mapped into underlying OS pages that are appropriately mprotect()ed. Try to modify the executable pages and you crash (W^X). Or you know, don't try to use a hack like this where security matters.
SQLite's unix VFS is actually using a mixture of mmap and write() by default[1] and you'd need to combine that with mseal() and some more pieces to actually pull it off. It would probably be possible.
(There's prior art here; although done differently: https://sqlite.org/src/file/ext/misc/appendvfs.c).
Re: Queryable Executables
#13This is deranged, and perilously close to dumb, which makes it one of the best things I’ve seen on hacker news this year.
Absolutely wonderful stuff.
Re: Queryable Executables
#14Neat stuff. I’m sold!
Could the webserver receive a code segment from the web and add it to itself (like a plugin upload)?
Re: Queryable Executables
#15Somebody else mentioned OS/400, I’ll mention MUMPS and its “globals”… specifically ^rOBJ
Everything old is new again.
Re: Queryable Executables
#16> We can collapse not only a complete distribution but all the state for every application into a single file, alleviating the need for /var/ or /tmp/ or /home/ or any other filesystem. The program can store its own state in the same file it is running from, and it can do so transactionally. On the one hand: I don't think I want that. Including static content with the binary makes sense, certainly. However, storing w…
What if I'm running multiple instances of the same binary?
Re: Queryable Executables
#17This is deranged, and perilously close to dumb, which makes it one of the best things I’ve seen on hacker news this year. Absolutely wonderful stuff.
Yeah. Somehow the rate of such and other cool, trippy topics seems to have declined on HN in favor of more and more AI topics.
Re: Queryable Executables
#18> We can collapse not only a complete distribution but all the state for every application into a single file, alleviating the need for /var/ or /tmp/ or /home/ or any other filesystem. The program can store its own state in the same file it is running from, and it can do so transactionally. On the one hand: I don't think I want that. Including static content with the binary makes sense, certainly. However, storing w…
What if I'm running multiple instances of the same binary?
Yes, that is one of the particular reasons I'd much prefer a single ro binary that gets handed one data dir per instance at runtime:) There's also (at least) a security angle and the question of how you reset to a known-working state if it mutates itself.
Re: Queryable Executables
#19So like a Lisp, APL, or Smalltalk program image, but with SQL as the driving force.
Everything old is new again. And I don't mean it in a disparaging way. There's lots of "old" ideas that are simply great ideas that did not win on their own time but might come back with force in the future.
Re: Queryable Executables
#20[flagged]