XPost: comp.os.linux.advocacy   
   From: ldo@nz.invalid   
      
   On Sun, 18 Jan 2026 05:29:27 -0000 (UTC), Gremlin wrote:   
      
   > Binary configuration files have the benefit? of typically being   
   > smaller and quicker for the program to access as necessary which   
   > also typically required less code to parse vs that of a human   
   > readable text file where additional code was required to parse the   
   > configuration information. Not exactly a benefit from the human   
   > perspective though.   
      
   Anything that a human user (i.e. sysadmin) is supposed to maintain   
   should normally be in text format, not binary format. So much easier   
   to keep track of changes that way. Also many formats allow comments,   
   so you can make your setup self-documenting.   
      
   Something stopped working since last week? User insists “nothing has   
   changed”? Just do a diff against the previous configuration snapshot,   
   and there’s your culprit. “But I didn’t think that change was   
   important!” insists the user.   
      
   “You were right as far as ‘didn’t think’” responds the sysadmin,   
   before leaving work for a nice, soothing beverage.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)