libXO-ification - Why - and is it a symptom of deeper issues?

[Allan Jude]

On 2015-11-15 13:14, Garrett Cooper wrote:
> 
>> On Nov 15, 2015, at 10:09, Allan Jude <allanjude at freebsd.org> wrote:
> 
> ...
> 
>> The big difference is, a json parser isn't going to blow up if a new
>> field gets added in the middle, and your awk/grep/sed script probably will.
> 
> That's a plus to those formats, yes, but if someone changes the field name (which can happen today, on a whim, and would go unnoticed for a while because no tests/spec), you'll run into a KeyError in Python or an equivalent error message in your language of choice.
> 
> Thanks,
> 

But, if the same change was made to a pure text output, then our 'column
3' would suddenly be username instead of ip address, and your program
would not work at intended either. so at least json would give you a
warning.

So, the need for a spec on the output is not specific to encoded
outputs, changing the output in text is just as disruptful.

-- 
Allan Jude

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