Regular Files as Databases
Often, databases are small and simple arrangements: a list of users on a small system, local hosts on a small network, a list of favorite Web sites, or a personal address file. They are all simple forms of databases, and for simple databases, normal text files will often do. But you need to consider some trade-offs first.
The good news: Using a text file as a database has a few distinct advantages over using more complicated alternatives such as DBM files or large databases such as Oracle or Sybase. Some of these advantages are as follow:
Text file databases are portable. They can be moved between vastly different kinds of systems without too much trouble.
Text file databases can be edited with a text editor and printed ...
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