4 ms·

Text files are better because I can use any text editor to update or change them, and leave comments/notes in the file. I don't understand all the talk about p

Text files are better because I can use any text editor to update or change them, and leave comments/notes in the file. I don't understand all the talk about performance - programs should be reading config once on start up and that's it. Registry keys I guess serve the programmer better by providing types and paths, but user space libraries can be used and since it's not kernel-level string handling code, a lot safer. Then again for I know ntdll.dll or kernel32.dll or whatever does actually run its registry API functions in userspace. Also, since the registry doesn't provide an opportunity for self-documentation, updating configuration using a common, trustable tool (regedit) is generally something you do only as a last resort when armed with knowledge or documentation that you'd have to hunt for elsewhere. Realistically you'll have to use control panel applets or settings dialogs in programs themselves.

naikrovek 4y ago
> I don't understand all the talk about performance - programs should be reading config once on start up and that's it. non-microsoft programs were not intended to use it when it was designed. the performance considerations are for windows itself. Microsoft's guidance has always been for third party applications to manage their own configuration in whatever way they choose, so long as it isn't the registry. developers ignore that, use the registry, and blame Microsoft for keeping the registry around even though Microsoft promises to do everything they can to keep things backwards compatible.
- CamperBob2 4y ago
  non-microsoft programs were not intended to use it when it was designed. the performance considerations are for windows itself. That's not what I remember. Someone at Microsoft had a personal jihad against application-specific .INI files scattered all over the place, and came up with the registry as a centralized solution. I still use .INI files myself, although Microsoft did successfully manage to get me to stop putting them in the executable directory where they belong. :-P
qwezxcrty 4y ago
About performance> try monitoring a non trivial Windows program with Procmon during it's start. I found the intensity of registry activity is quite extreme. Maybe many of those operations (many are by Windows itself) are not necessary, but in the current state, I feel happy that the registry is designed to be performant.

naikrovek 4y ago

> I don't understand all the talk about performance - programs should be reading config once on start up and that's it. non-microsoft programs were not intended to use it when it was designed. the performance considerations are for windows itself. Microsoft's guidance has always been for third party applications to manage their own configuration in whatever way they choose, so long as it isn't the registry. developers ignore that, use the registry, and blame Microsoft for keeping the registry around even though Microsoft promises to do everything they can to keep things backwards compatible.

CamperBob2 4y ago
non-microsoft programs were not intended to use it when it was designed. the performance considerations are for windows itself. That's not what I remember. Someone at Microsoft had a personal jihad against application-specific .INI files scattered all over the place, and came up with the registry as a centralized solution. I still use .INI files myself, although Microsoft did successfully manage to get me to stop putting them in the executable directory where they belong. :-P

qwezxcrty 4y ago

About performance> try monitoring a non trivial Windows program with Procmon during it's start. I found the intensity of registry activity is quite extreme. Maybe many of those operations (many are by Windows itself) are not necessary, but in the current state, I feel happy that the registry is designed to be performant.