Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

There is a definite demand for some import format that you can trivially edit - CSV excels at this right now and JSON isn't that bad. Binary dump formats definitely do have a time and a place but there is also a separate need for trivially human readable formats.


I guess my point is that CSVs or any text files aren't really "human readable". You still need some application top view them.


I can - and do - read a CSV by opening it in Notepad++ to view basic data. This isn't possible with a SQLite file.


In some incredibly pedantic sense, sure. But the difference is that every computer comes with what a human needs to read a CSV file. That's not true of an SQLite database.


Could it be?


Sure, could be. In about the same sense that it could be that every computer comes with a free and open source operating system. Could be; it's not theoretically impossible -- but...


So what's the alternative? Good old pen and paper?


Doesn't count, you still need light to make it human-readable.

/s




Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: