In my (oceanographic) research area, some formats are binary and others are text-based. Binary tends to be used for big datasets recorded by instruments that a

In my (oceanographic) research area, some formats are binary and others are text-based. Binary tends to be used for big datasets recorded by instruments that are left in the field, unattended, for months to years. Since every byte counts, these instruments cram information in very tightly. The binary nature of the files makes them a pain to deal with, but it also confers an advantage: the files are very seldom corrupted by a person who thinks they are benignly viewing the data. The text files, on the other hand, sometimes get extra junk inserted because someone in the data analysis pipeline thinks it's OK to look at information in MSword or MSexcel. Sometimes, opaque binary data formats are superior, in terms of data integrity. I thought of this, while reading about recutils and thinking of a contrast with sqlite. Recutils looks great, but if I started sharing data in that format, I bet it wouldn't be long before derived versions of the files had become corrupted, as someone edited with MSword. In this forum, people will sniff at people who use MSword, and I have done so, myself. But, it's a simple fact that some people who are good at one thing are not good at another. Some of my colleagues who use MSword for every silly thing (e.g. seminar announcements) are actually very good at their subject matter (e.g. the science talked about in those seminars).