Subject: postgres mailing list

From: [email-masked] (Jennifer J. Liu)
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 21:34:20 EDT

Hi,
 
I am a graduate student in Carleton University.  I am using PostGres system now for some case studies and will probably use it later as the study tool for my thesis topic.  Since Postgres system has just been installed in our department, I hope I could be>  added to your postgres mailing list so that I could have access to common occured problems and newly coming activities.  
 
Thank you very much.
 
Jennifer Liu

---

From: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 08:50:13 -0700

Frequently Asked Questions about Postgres

Q:  What Is Postgres?

    Postgres is a database research project under Prof. Michael Stonebraker
    at U. C. Berkeley.  To facilitate research efforts, a software test-bed was
    created; this is the "Postgres" DBMS software.  The Postgres DBMS
    is extended relational or object oriented, depending on the buzzword du
    jour.

    The major purpose of this software is to provide a platform and a basis
    for the testing of implementations of new ideas in database research.
    Several graduate students, staff members, as well as undergraduate
    programmers have been working on the implementation of the Postgres
    software.  After this paragraph, all references to "Postgres" refer to the
    software itself.

Postgres Is:

o  Relational.  One of the major goals of Postgres is to show that
   an essentially relational DBMS can be extended to handle complex objects,
   rules, and be highly extensible.

o  Highly extensible.  Postgres allows user-defined operators, user-defined
   objects, and user-defined functions.

o  While Postgres is relational, object oriented ideas have been implemented
   in Postgres (inheritance, etc).

o  Numerous other features, such as query language procedures, rules, etc.
   which are beyond the scope of this discussion.

   For more info on the Postgres research itself, you can get the
   Postgres technical documentation described below.

Q.  What is the connection between Postgres and Ingres?

A.  There is none, aside from Prof. Stonebraker.  There is no compatibility
    between the two software packages, and the research projects have
    differing objectives.  We do not support University Ingres at all;
    questions about it should be sent to the USENET group "comp.databases".

Q.  How do I get the Postgres software package?

A.  In one of two ways:

    1.  Via anonymous FTP from postgres.berkeley.edu (Internet 128.32.149.1);
        the important files are

        pub/postgres-v3r1.tar.Z  (Note: should be transmitted in BINARY mode.)
        pub/postgres-setup.me

    2.  If you don't have Internet access, you can get Postgres by sending
        a check for US $150 payable to

        Regents of the University of California

        This should be addressed to

        The Postgres Project
        557 Evans Hall
        University of California
        Berkeley, CA 94720

        Indicate in your accompanying letter whether you want the system on a
        9-track tape at 1600 BPI, at 6250 BPI, on a Sun cartridge tape (QIC 24
        format), or on a TK50 DEC cartridge tape.

    Sorry - we cannot deliver Postgres via e-mail.

Q.  What is the Postgres query language?

A.  Postquel, which is an incompatible superset of Quel.

Q.  What about SQL support?

A.  We do not support SQL at this time.

Q.  What does Postgres run on?

A.  Postgres 3.1 is supported on Sun 4, Sparc, and DECstations running Ultrix
    4.0 or higher.  Ports are distributed (but not supported) for Sun 3's and
    Sequent Symmetry machines.  We are aware of ports for Solbourne (a Sparc
    multiprocessor), MIPS workstations, and the Sun 386i, although we do _not_
    have access to these ports and do not intend to support them.  

    The experience of outside developers indicates that Postgres is relatively
    easy to port to any system that supports:

    1.  Berkeley-style sockets
    2.  System V shared memory and semaphores
    3.  A K & R compatible C compiler
    4.  Other "normal" Unix system calls 

    Some header file problems may be encountered; these are easily fixed by
    a programmer knowledgable with the local OS.  The most difficult part
    of the port is porting the dynamic object code loader, which requires
    interpreting object file headers.

Q.  How do I get papers about Postgres?

A.  On postgres.berkeley.edu is a file called

    pub/postgres-papers.tar.Z

    which contains troff and Postscript versions of several of the major
    Postgres technical reports.  If you don't have Internet access, you can
    order hard-copies of technical reports individually; for more details,
    send e-mail or call Claire Mosher at (510) 642-4662; her e-mail address
    is 
    
        [email-masked]

Q.  What is the status of the Postgres implementation?

A.  It is not up to commercial levels of reliability.  I would not want
    _my_ payroll records in it :-)  However, it is quite adaquate for
    managing scientific and experimental datasets and as an instructional
    system.  Its speed on applications which stress transaction processing
    is not particularly good, but it is within about 50% of commercial systems
    on the more "report-oriented" Wisconsin benchmark, and is twice as fast
    as University Ingres on the Wisconsin.

Q.  Does Postgres have a user interface?  A report generator?

A.  No and no, at least as shipped.  The Picasso package, which is also
    available from postgres.berkeley.edu, provides a more graphical
    interface to Postgres; as shipped, a bare-bones interface is provided
    which allows the user to type in queries.  There is no report generator.

    Instructions for getting Picasso are in the file

        pub/picasso-README

    on postgres.berkeley.edu.  For more information about Picasso, send mail
    to

        [email-masked]

    (Note that Picasso requires Lisp)

Q.  What about a C-callable interface for writing applications?

A.  There most definitiely is one, called libpq.  There is also an interface
    for referencing Postgres data from shell scripts.  Get the Postgres
    reference manual for details.

Q.  Is there a BBS/discussion group about Postgres?

A.  Yes - the mailing list

        [email-masked]

    has over two hundred readers and gateways; you can subscribe to the mailing
    list by sending mail to 

        [email-masked]

    with "ADD" as the Subject.

    You UNsubscribe from the mailing list by sending mail to

        [email-masked]

    with "DEL" as the Subject.

Q.  How do I make a bug report?

A.  If you find a bug, send a description of your database schema, queries,
    and a stack dump (type "where" in DBX) if possible to 

        [email-masked]

Q.  How do I find out about known bugs?

A.  The known bug list is on Postgres in the file

        pub/postgres-v3r1.bugs

Q.  Please summarize the important files on postgres.berkeley.edu

A.  File                         Purpose

    pub/postgres-v3r1.tar.Z      Complete Postgres distribution
    pub/postgres-v3r1.bugs       Postgres 3.1 known bug list and workarounds
    pub/postgres-setup.me        Postgres Installation instructions in troff
    pub/postgres-papers.tar.Z    Postgres papers

    pub/picasso-README           Instructions for getting Picasso

Q.  Please summarize the important Postgres mailing aliases

A.  Mailing Address              Purpose

    postgres@postgres            Postgres general discussion and announcements
    postgres-request@postgres    Administrative requests (ADD/DEL)
    bug-postgres@postgres        Postgres bug reports
    postgres-questions@postgres  Questions to the developers of Postgres

    picasso@postgres             Questions to the Picasso group

Q.  Please summarize the main contacts at the Postgres group

A.  Address/Phone                 Role

    Marc Teitelbaum		Postgres Chief Programmer 
    [email-masked]    
    (510) 643-6448

    Elisa Kwon			Secretary to the Postgres group
    [email-masked]
    (510) 642-3417