Re:SELECT wat FROM sql
by stouset on Monday April 27, 2020 @12:42AM
(#22992937)
That’s all great but it’s not like we haven’t figured out how to solve this in other languages with `Option` or `Maybe` types. Obviously SQL predates this, but that shouldn’t stop us from lamenting the fact that SQL repeated the Billion Dollar Mistake and discussing a future alternative that’s learned from this and doesn’t feature such a sharp edge.
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Sum types like Option/Maybe (or C's NULL) don't do the same thing as SQL's NULL, though. By all means, if you don't need NULLs, then don't use them — `NOT NULL` should probably have been the default in table statements — but they serve a purpose.