Registry = Evil

on 01.23.06, 07:19pm in windows • comments (8)

Is it just me, or is the registry one of the worst things in Windows?

8 Comments

    Randy H. (January 23, 2006 @ 8:34 pm)

    One of? :)

    Kees Leune (January 24, 2006 @ 12:14 am)

    The concept of a registry is not necessarily evil; using a centralized repository for persistent data storage is actually a good thing, provided two things are kept in mind:

    1) It must be designed properly
    2) Access to the repository must be regulated

    Many third-party software developers who develop for the Windows platform (or for any platform, for that matter) seem to understand what it is to get a single application to work, but fail to see how that single application should interact with the operating system, and with pre-existing libraries and applications.

    Just taking a key because it is available, or just expecting your library to be in system space is a recipe for disastering an otherwise well-engineerd system.

    I guess what I am saying is, is that there is a lot more to system adminstration and application administration that knowing how to reinstall your OS every two months.

    Steve (January 24, 2006 @ 6:23 am)

    There’s no reason the registry needs to be used for application configuration, which is my biggest beef.

    Ron (January 24, 2006 @ 9:43 am)

    Yes, I think the same as you. Registry errors caused me to reinstall windows several times in the last 3 months. don’t forget to backup!

    Randy (January 24, 2006 @ 9:59 am)

    Force of habit, I guess, back from when Win95 promoted Registry use… now it’s all about app.config files, right?

    It’s a question of trade offs… there ARE benefits to the registry. You can manipulate another PC’s registry via LAN, which should make remote support easier. It looks scary enough to keep end users out of there, which should make IT’s life easier. It’s not very portable without interaction but if you export the top most level key, then it’s pretty portable.

    However, I’d still call it Evil for obvious reasons. If given a choice, I’d go back to an INI file: simple and easy and no XML. The problem with that is that it’ll never pass a security review: can’t have a user-writable file next to an EXE anymore. It’s bannished to \Documents and Settings\UserName\Application Data\AppName - that shoots the portablily right in the foot.

    I dunno what the hell Kees is talking about though…

    Jeff Atwood (January 24, 2006 @ 2:58 pm)

    Well, it WAS a good idea.. in 1995. But so were railroads in their time.

    You ought to write a little more about this and elaborate a bit.

    John Hatch (January 29, 2006 @ 9:59 am)

    There is nothing like setting up Embedded XP to see how dependent the OS is on the registry. I remember getting the impression that it wasn’t an OS with a database for settings, but instead it was a huge database with some OS features bolted on to it. Setting up Embedded XP is all about getting the registry right. Everything else is just a big xcopy of files. What’s particularly evil is registry + GUIDs.

    ray (February 2, 2006 @ 6:11 am)

    Guns = Evil

    Oops - no.

    People who shoot guns at innocent people = Evil

    The registry is not Evil, it’s not even a bad idea: a centralized repository of operating system and application information - what’s wrong with that?

    How would you implement something like Group Policy on 1000 workstations when every app has a different way of storing state and config?

    But, the implementation of the registry leaves a lot to be desired.

    BAD: Not having a set of rules and guidelines for ISV usage of the registry.
    BAD: Mixing app and system data in the same registry hives
    BAD: Microsoft app devs not following common sense and plonking stuff all over the registry

    Now, what if the Windows Installer team can develop a way for apps to easily export all their settings and files, zip them up and redeploy. No machine dependency.

    Jeff: Railroads are still a good idea - just ask billions of commuters across the world who rely on public transport, rather than privately owned environmental pollution generators.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.