There's also a point in regard to how modifications are made to your
data store. In general, things working with text files don't go to
much effort to maintain durability like a real database would. The
most direct way of editing a text file is to make all the changes in
memory, then write the whole thing out. Some editors make backup
files, or use a create-delete-rename cycle, but they won't necessarily
force the data to disk -- if it's entirely in cache you could end up
losing the contents of the file anyway.
In the general case on the systems I work with, corruption is a
relatively low concern due to the automatic error detection and
correction my disks perform, and the consistency guarantees of modern
filesystems. Interruptions (e.g. crashes or power failures) are much
more likely, and in that regard the typical modification process of
text files is more of a risk than working with a database.
I've also had times where faulty RAM corrupted gigabytes of data on
disk due to cache churn alone.
It will always depend on your situation. In both cases, you
definitely want backups just for the guarantees neither approach can
make.
[way off topic]
In regard to the Windows Registry in particular...
> There is certainly some legitimacy to the claim; the demerits of
> things like the Windows Registry as compared to "plain text
> configuration" have been pretty clear.
> -> You are taking regular backups, right???
>
> If you are, that's a considerable mitigation of risks. I don't
> believe it's typical to set up off-site backups of one's Windows
> Registry, in contrast...
Sometimes I think most people get their defining impressions of the
Windows Registry from experience with the Windows 9x line. I'll
definitely agree that it was simply awful there, and there's much to
complain about still, but...
The Windows Registry in NT is an actual database, with a WAL,
structured and split into several files, replication of some portions
in certain network arrangements, redundant backup of key parts in a
local system, and any external storage or off-site backup system for
Windows worth its salt does, indeed, back it up.
It's been that way for about a decade.