Proposal: remove file property from ROMs

[Timendus]

The same ROMs are shared under lots of different filenames. Which is precisely the reason why we use SHA1 hashes for this database. We currently have a property file for each ROM, which contains the filename of the ROM as we first encountered it. However, this filename has no particular value. If people try to match ROMs on filename, that will only lead to issues.

So I suggest we just remove it.

[pyrsmk]

I'm 100% for removal. The property does not add anything and it makes no sense to use it.

[tobiasvl]

I think it holds some value - the filename is the only human-readable metadata associated with CHIP-8 games. If you find a reference list of CHIP-8 ROM filenames somewhere (an old website, a computer magazine from the 70s, etc) where you can't download/transcribe the ROM, the filename is the only identifier. I agree that it's fairly useless for machines (or humans who can run a SHA1 check), but perhaps it could be made into an optional array of filenames instead?

[pyrsmk]

In fact, it seems to me that this is out of the scope of the project, aiming to have a reliable database of CHIP-8 ROMs metadata, usable by other projects (like interpreters).

If you need to find something by hand, you have all the needed metadata, in a usable format, in the other fields. You just have to search for the name in the list (or anything else) and find the closest item that matches what you have.

Also, filenames are inconsistent by nature. You cannot maintain an array because it is theoretically infinite.

But, on the other hand, it would really make sense to have an array of the available extensions for that ROM.

[Timendus]

I think changing the property to an array would also be fine. I agree that it MAY sometimes hold a tiny bit of value. Also, I'm a digital hoarder and I don't like losing information 😉

I would argue for something that allows for a bit more "vagueness" than file then, like sometimesCalled, maybe?