Comments on: Blender DNA, RNA and extreme backward compatibility http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/ Fresh Blender News, Every Day Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:06:38 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: halcor http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-422700 halcor Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:35:19 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-422700 This concept quite reminds me of the Extensible Binary Meta-Language (EBML), that is used in the Matroska project. Cool stuff. http://ebml.sourceforge.net/ This concept quite reminds me of the Extensible Binary Meta-Language (EBML), that is used in the Matroska project. Cool stuff.
http://ebml.sourceforge.net/

]]> By: Charon http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-420926 Charon Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:54:58 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-420926 Funny and amazing! I even tried the linked file, great!! Funny and amazing! I even tried the linked file, great!!

]]> By: Nemesis http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-420871 Nemesis Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:01:52 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-420871 I am looking forward to 2.50 and RNA. Glad there is no XML, it is an annoyance at the best of times. Also hope the X64 version of 2.50 comes out at the same time as the X32 version. Keep up the good work, it is much appreciated by me. I am looking forward to 2.50 and RNA.

Glad there is no XML, it is an annoyance at the best of times.

Also hope the X64 version of 2.50 comes out at the same time as the X32 version.

Keep up the good work, it is much appreciated by me.

]]> By: Bozo http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-420861 Bozo Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:12:29 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-420861 @FishB8: Thanks a lot for the links, they are very helpful for getting an overview on this topic ! @FishB8: Thanks a lot for the links, they are very helpful for getting an overview on this topic !

]]> By: epat http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-420854 epat Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:58:15 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-420854 Hey there - I've always thought that the DNA was one of blender's strengths! XML is awful if you want to load files quickly!! Here's an idea though - sometimes forwards compatibility gets slightly broken between releases, although backwards compatibility gets patched. How about if Blender went one step further? How about if it could read an external file for the forwards compatibility patching code (maybe a dynamic library that comes packaged or built with the program) - that way, when a new feature in blender breaks forwards compatibility, somebody could write code to read it back into the previous version of blender as nicely as possible, so getting an old blender version to read a newer file correctly would be as simple as replacing the old external file with the latest one and running through the patching code to the required level each time a file was loaded with a DNA saved by a newer version of Blender than the version reading the file!! If the library with the code was stored user-wide (e.g. under ~/.blender in linux), then each new version of blender could replace the file automatically with a newer one when run for the first time, thereby causing all older versions of blender installed on the same system to read the newer files correctly using the new patching code. My idea reminds me a bit of the import __future__ statements in python. Of course, getting developers to maintain the code properly could be an issue, though it might be reasonable to assume that if something breaks backwards compatibility, it must also break forwards compatibility, or am i wrong? Just an idea. ~epat. :P Hey there – I've always thought that the DNA was one of blender's strengths! XML is awful if you want to load files quickly!!

Here's an idea though – sometimes forwards compatibility gets slightly broken between releases, although backwards compatibility gets patched. How about if Blender went one step further? How about if it could read an external file for the forwards compatibility patching code (maybe a dynamic library that comes packaged or built with the program) – that way, when a new feature in blender breaks forwards compatibility, somebody could write code to read it back into the previous version of blender as nicely as possible, so getting an old blender version to read a newer file correctly would be as simple as replacing the old external file with the latest one and running through the patching code to the required level each time a file was loaded with a DNA saved by a newer version of Blender than the version reading the file!! If the library with the code was stored user-wide (e.g. under ~/.blender in linux), then each new version of blender could replace the file automatically with a newer one when run for the first time, thereby causing all older versions of blender installed on the same system to read the newer files correctly using the new patching code.

My idea reminds me a bit of the import __future__ statements in python. Of course, getting developers to maintain the code properly could be an issue, though it might be reasonable to assume that if something breaks backwards compatibility, it must also break forwards compatibility, or am i wrong?

Just an idea.
~epat. :P

]]> By: irowebot http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-420788 irowebot Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:49:53 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-420788 I'm really interested in this DNA approach to programming. I think it's ingenious and i would like to learn more about it. I've been searching google and its tough to find anything relating to it. Mostly what i find is about programming actually DNA to do computing, not programming that mimics DNA. I think its always smart to use nature as a template to work from because most of the work has been done for you. I would love it Bart or Ton if you can post anything more about this. I'm really interested in this DNA approach to programming. I think it's ingenious and i would like to learn more about it. I've been searching google and its tough to find anything relating to it. Mostly what i find is about programming actually DNA to do computing, not programming that mimics DNA. I think its always smart to use nature as a template to work from because most of the work has been done for you. I would love it Bart or Ton if you can post anything more about this.

]]> By: gat http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-420735 gat Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:30:22 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-420735 wow that RNA sounds awesome, can't wait to see what they will come up with!!!!!! :D wow that RNA sounds awesome, can't wait to see what they will come up with!!!!!! :D

]]> By: FishB8 http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-420703 FishB8 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:16:45 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-420703 @Bozo: There is no development documentation (that I'm aware of). There is a nice abstract documentation that gives some insight to the concept: http://www.blender.org/development/architecture/ But developer documentation is best found looking through the code, or bugging devs on IRC. RNA has a wee bit of API documentation: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/Blender2.5/RNA http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/Blender2.5/RNATasks http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/Blender2.5/DataAPI @Bozo: There is no development documentation (that I'm aware of). There is a nice abstract documentation that gives some insight to the concept: http://www.blender.org/development/architecture/ But developer documentation is best found looking through the code, or bugging devs on IRC.

RNA has a wee bit of API documentation:

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/Blender2.5/RNA
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/Blender2.5/RNATasks
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/Blender2.5/DataAPI

]]> By: Bozo http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-420651 Bozo Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:43:28 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-420651 Sounds very interesting, is there any development documentation available on that, or does one have to dig through the sources for conceptual details ? Sounds very interesting, is there any development documentation available on that, or does one have to dig through the sources for conceptual details ?

]]> By: scrag_10 http://www.blendernation.com/blender-dna-rna-and-backward-compatibility/comment-page-1/#comment-420603 scrag_10 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:19:06 +0000 http://www.blendernation.com/?p=5872#comment-420603 @BlenderLovingSuirrel In edit mode at another curve, it should do it by itself. @BlenderLovingSuirrel

In edit mode at another curve, it should do it by itself.

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