throwaway848

Unless the file IO is done correctly, even the best file system won't save you from data loss, such as the kind that can result from sudden power failure, which is what the article talks about.

PG obviously thinks RDBMSs are just unnecessary middlemen between you and the same file system. He doesn't realize that even if they ultimately use the same file system you do, they likely don't use it the way you do. Maybe Viaweb used something like the last snippet of code in the article, but I doubt it.

PG was quite proud of having just used the file system as a database with Viaweb, claiming that "The Unix file system is pretty good at not losing your data, especially if you put the files on a Netapp." His entire response is worth reading in light of the above article, if only to get a taste of how simultaneously arrogant and clueless PG can be: http://www.paulgraham.com/vwfaq.html

PG and company still think this is a great idea, because the software this forum runs on apparently also does the file system-as-database thing.

No wonder Viaweb was rewritten in C++.

EDIT: to those downvoting, my characterization of PG's response is correct. Its arrogance is undeniable, with its air of "look how smart I am; I see through the marketing hype everyone else falls for," as is its cluelessness, with PG advocating practices that will cause data loss. Viaweb was probably a buggy, unstable mess that needed a rewrite.