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Rob Pike: "Current Unix tools are weakened by the built-in concept of a line"

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Re: Rob Pike: "Current Unix tools are weakened by the built-in concept of a line"

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So things like CSV, XML, and JSON are APIs now?

Can any of those not be an interface to an application layer?

Plain text also "can be an interface to an application layer" (see SMTP, IMAP, POP, etc). Your argument is meaningless.

Re: Rob Pike: "Current Unix tools are weakened by the built-in concept of a line"

#112
I think tools that generate or pass records or rows of data should certainly have the option of providing a schema based output as well. In addition to "find ... -print0" providing either of "find ... -proto" or "find ... -json", assuming the schema for the json is known as in a /usr/share/SOMEWHERE/find.json-schema or similar, is really appreciated. And let's not go overboard with this, as there are many cases where parsing is genuinely the sanest approach.
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