Originally Posted by Seerah
Proper OnUpdate usage is certainly acceptable. Using the second return from the OnUpdate handler to create a buffer is the way to do this.
Also, static memory usage does not matter. My system has 8GB of RAM. If an addon takes up even 5MB, it's merely a drop in the bucket.
I do prefer using Lua over XML, and encourage its usage for frame creation, but you don't need to bite the heads off of people who prefer it the other way. This is a game community - this is a hobby. If you want to help people learn, then fine. If you just want to yell at them, maybe this isn't the right place for you.
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Please note, my post was directed at another "professional". Instead of getting butt-hurt about my stance on the issue, which is well explained and based on years of experience, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of training, perhaps you should show some empathy.
Can you provide an example where you require to run a function 60 times a second, regardless of what happens in that time? I've never heard of one, but I'm willing to listen.
Static memory usage does matter. First of all, no matter how much RAM you have, even the smallest leak will add up over time, and become a huge problem. Second, unless you have a custom written kernel, your OS controls memory management. Modern OS's tend to hold huge amounts of memory in reserve (pre-fetched), and a memory intensive add-on will increase that amount.
For example, this is how my gaming machine (Windows 8 x64) memory is being used atm:
89MB - hardware reserved
3303MB - in use
93MB - modified
4272MB - standby
408MB - free
So, that 5MB you mentioned as a drop in the bucket (which is a conservative estimation), is over 1% of free memory on an 8GB system, without the game running. (the free pool usually drops to under 10 MB when it is).
If this (software development) is a hobby for you, that's fine. It is a lifelong career for me. I really don't care what your preference is. I prefer XML too, because it is faster and easier. Sometimes I use it for very small addons, despite the drawbacks. However, I discourage other people from doing so, and in all fairness, I never should. You'll see a similar post in the addon request section from me. That thread serves as perfect evidence to back my point.
Cheers!
Cato
P.S. Can we get a /thread soon? People have argued over this for years, I expect things will only get worse.
P.P.S. ZO uses XML, because they are APPLICATION DEVELOPERS, not API SCRIPTERS. If you were programming a game engine, or even a simple application, by all means, use XML for EVERYTHING.