[Nottingham] SQLite and 'locking'

[Duncan John Fyfe]

On Wed, 2007-02-28 at 06:49 -0800, Ovid wrote:
> --- Duncan John Fyfe <djf at star.le.ac.uk> wrote:
> 
> > I see databases much in the same way I see security.  You can devise
> > the
> > perfect system but if it makes life difficult users will work around
> > you
> > and not with you.  Until somebody comes up with the perfect usable
> > system (and isn't vapourware) then we are all just trying to get the
> > job done the best way we can with what we have.  
> 
> Except that having a seats.booked_by column and allowing it to be NULL
> is clearly broken.  That's not "the best way we can".  If the solution
> wasn't as simple as having another table represent that, I might lean
> your direction, but the fix is too trivial for me to buy this argument
> *in this specific case*.  (I have used NULLs in databases before and
> will continue to do so in the future, but only when the the "correct"
> solution becomes problematic).
> 

I was referring to the balance between what goes in the database and
what goes in the application.  I thought I had already indicated by
dislike for the proposed use of NULL in this case.

Have fun,
Duncan