X-Original-To: pgsql-docs-postgresql.org@localhost.postgresql.org Received: from localhost (unknown [64.117.224.130]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E0485D1B8D1 for ; Mon, 25 Aug 2003 18:38:22 -0300 (ADT) Received: from svr1.postgresql.org ([64.117.224.193]) by localhost (neptune.hub.org [64.117.224.130]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id 48544-04 for ; Mon, 25 Aug 2003 18:37:51 -0300 (ADT) Received: from sss.pgh.pa.us (unknown [192.204.191.242]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C982DD1B8CB for ; Mon, 25 Aug 2003 18:37:48 -0300 (ADT) Received: from sss2.sss.pgh.pa.us (tgl@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by sss.pgh.pa.us (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id h7PLbo5H013340 for ; Mon, 25 Aug 2003 17:37:51 -0400 (EDT) To: pgsql-docs@postgreSQL.org Subject: Do we need "Diagnostics" sections of SQL command reference pages? Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 17:37:50 -0400 Message-ID: <13339.1061847470@sss.pgh.pa.us> From: Tom Lane X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-new at postgresql.org X-Archive-Number: 200308/70 X-Sequence-Number: 1930 I'm starting to look at updating the docs to match 7.4 error message spellings. I find that a large part of the work I'll have to do is in updating the "Diagnostics" (formerly "Outputs") section of the command reference pages. I am wondering if it wouldn't be better to just rip out these sections entirely. They seem like nearly content-free fluff to me --- the listings of possible error messages are always incomplete, often out of date, and arguably useless. If there is an error message that's not clear enough by itself, we'd better fix the error message instead of putting a gloss on it in the reference page. Comments? regards, tom lane