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CSV isn't going away any time soon. It is the only format that is supported by all data-oriented tools. Getting all those tools to agree on an alternative isn't
by flowerlad 5y ago
CSV isn't going away any time soon. It is the only format that is supported by all data-oriented tools. Getting all those tools to agree on an alternative isn't going to happen, especially given that that there are all these old tools that are no longer being updated, that produce and consume CSV.
Instead of finding a replacement for CSV it might be easier to standardize it and enhance it. Excel's version of CSV is the de-facto standard. If you want a written-down spec that is available too [1]. To this we need to add enhancements such as a way to specify metadata (i.e., data type of each field). No need to find an alternative to CSV!
[1] https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc4180 https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc4180
- einpoklum 5y ago> Excel's version of CSV is the de-facto standard. If you're working someplace that uses Excel, then maybe. Otherwise, it isn't. Anyway, if more tools, including Excel, properly implemented RFC4180, we'd at least have something. Another option is some sort of meta-data file alongside a large CSV describing its format somehow - which, if missing, you have to fall back on RFC4180 or your parser's "try to figure out the quirks" mode.