Comment by ftvbffg | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ftvbffg | Hacker News Reader

Year ago there were still many POS (point-of-sale) computers at retail stores running with "Subiekt 4" in my town in Poland. I even saw one in supermarket.

DOS program from 1995. http://www.netsetup.pl/s4/img/Image2.gif Connected to old EPSON parallel-port dot matrix printer (those printers were still surprisingly expensive).

I remember editing "Subiekt 4" to change VAT tax from 22% to 23%. 22% tax was hardcoded. Over years there were many more tricks to keep it running, for example "Hyperthreading disabler" program.

Year ago they were still running it in Dosbox but now it's migrated to "Subiekt GT".

I prefer old DOS program because it was easier to copy, just xcopy program folder to pendrive. New version uses MSSQL, and you have to reinstall and activate online. And database sometimes breaks.

> I prefer old DOS program because it was easier to copy, just xcopy program folder to pendrive. New version uses MSSQL, and you have to reinstall and activate online. And database sometimes breaks.

That's why I absolutely love SQLite. You get all the benefits of relational databases while still keeping data in plain files and not having to install system-wide stuff.

When it doesn't matter, like probably with the inventory of a small grocery, SQLite can be a beauty

SQLite is more tested (as in code tests) than most other databases. Its downside is that you can essentially only use it from one app at a time, and not over a network.

Also, it is safer than writing to your own files. It has tests for probably all the ways that writing to files can break. So if local state needs to be maintained/changed and written to disk it is great. https://www.sqlite.org/testing.html

Subiekt 4 is based on FoxPro database, it can be used over network simply by mounting SMB network share.

Just click "Share this folder" in Windows and run the same executable on another computer.

Indeed, I was responding to GP's assertion that SQLite is only for data you don't care about.

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