Re: Email address column verification foraddress list

From: merlyn(at)stonehenge(dot)com (Randal L(dot) Schwartz)
To: "Andrus" <kobruleht2(at)hot(dot)ee>
Cc: "Peter Geoghegan" <peter(dot)geoghegan86(at)gmail(dot)com>, <pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: Re: Email address column verification foraddress list
Date: 2010-04-13 12:58:18
Message-ID: 864ojfqzkl.fsf@red.stonehenge.com
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>>>>> "Andrus" == Andrus <kobruleht2(at)hot(dot)ee> writes:

Andrus> This is existing database deployed to many sites and used by many programs.
Andrus> Re-factoring db and software to add this minor feature seems to be not
Andrus> reasonable. For 99% of cases field contains only single address.

So for most applications written against this database, they're probably
assuming only one email address in this column.

And then you confuse the issue by putting two or more comma-separated
addresses, which are not universally usable when a single address
is provided.

I sense this code will end up on thedailywtf.com[1] when you leave
and your successor discovers what you insanely tried to do.

[1] which should be mandatory reading for *all* devs, with the goal
of "never let my code end up here"

--
Randal L. Schwartz - Stonehenge Consulting Services, Inc. - +1 503 777 0095
<merlyn(at)stonehenge(dot)com> <URL:http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/>
Smalltalk/Perl/Unix consulting, Technical writing, Comedy, etc. etc.
See http://methodsandmessages.vox.com/ for Smalltalk and Seaside discussion

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