From barwick@gmx.net Sat Jun 6 10:03:53 2026 X-Original-To: pgsql-docs-postgresql.org@localhost.postgresql.org Received: from localhost (unknown [200.46.204.144]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 68B653CAE69 for ; Fri, 17 Dec 2004 23:39:37 +0000 (GMT) Received: from svr1.postgresql.org ([200.46.204.71]) by localhost (av.hub.org [200.46.204.144]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id 20980-06 for ; Fri, 17 Dec 2004 23:39:24 +0000 (GMT) Received: from p15140235.pureserver.info (sql-info.de [217.160.166.164]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 368653CB189 for ; Fri, 17 Dec 2004 23:39:23 +0000 (GMT) Received: by p15140235.pureserver.info (Postfix, from userid 639) id B3199357E; Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:39:22 +0100 (CET) Received: from iwate.sql-info.de (pD956A313.dip.t-dialin.net [217.86.163.19]) (using SSLv3 with cipher RC4-MD5 (128/128 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by p15140235.pureserver.info (Postfix) with ESMTP id C04663563 for ; Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:39:19 +0100 (CET) From: Ian Barwick To: pgsql-docs@postgresql.org Subject: FAQ corrections etc. Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:39:17 +0100 User-Agent: KMail/1.6.2 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Type: Multipart/Mixed; boundary="Boundary-00=_l42wB1dq0vLIQxO" Message-Id: <200412180039.17696.barwick@gmx.net> X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-new at hub.org X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.05 tagged_above=0 required=5 tests=FORGED_RCVD_HELO X-Spam-Level: X-Archive-Number: 200412/18 X-Sequence-Number: 2714 --Boundary-00=_l42wB1dq0vLIQxO Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline attached as patch. It contains some minor corrections / clarifications. Note: * store.pgsql.com (sec. 1.15) does not work, although it is linked from http://www.pgsql.com/ - is it dead, or just resting? * I've taken the liberty of removing this section: "There is an interesting Web page comparing PostgreSQL to MySQL at http://openacs.org/philosophy/why-not-mysql.html Also, MySQL is is a company that distributes its products via open source, and requires a commercial license for close-source software, not an open source development community like PostgreSQL." as the page linked to is hopelessly outdated (May 2000) and the reference to the license model is IMHO not directly relevant to the context (performance). Ian Barwick --Boundary-00=_l42wB1dq0vLIQxO Content-Type: text/x-diff; charset="us-ascii"; name="FAQ.html.cdiff" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="FAQ.html.cdiff" Index: FAQ.html =================================================================== RCS file: /projects/cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/FAQ/FAQ.html,v retrieving revision 1.235 diff -c -r1.235 FAQ.html *** FAQ.html 16 Dec 2004 01:08:23 -0000 1.235 --- FAQ.html 17 Dec 2004 23:36:56 -0000 *************** *** 339,346 **** href= "http://techdocs.PostgreSQL.org/">http://techdocs.PostgreSQL.org/.

!

psql has some nice \d commands to show information about ! types, operators, functions, aggregates, etc.

Our web site contains even more documentation.

--- 339,347 ---- href= "http://techdocs.PostgreSQL.org/">http://techdocs.PostgreSQL.org/.

!

The command line client program psql has some \d commands to show ! information about types, operators, functions, aggregates, etc. - use \? to ! display the available commands.

Our web site contains even more documentation.

*************** *** 425,445 ****
Performance
!
PostgreSQL has performance similar to other commercial and ! open source databases. it is faster for some things, slower for others. In comparison to MySQL or leaner database systems, we are faster for multiple users, complex queries, and a read/write query load. MySQL is faster for simple SELECT queries done by a few users. Of course, MySQL does not have most of the features mentioned in the Features section above. We are built for reliability and features, and we continue to improve performance in every ! release. There is an interesting Web page comparing PostgreSQL to ! MySQL at ! http://openacs.org/philosophy/why-not-mysql.html Also, MySQL is ! is a company that distributes its products via open source, and requires ! a commercial license for close-source software, not an ! open source development community like PostgreSQL.
!
--- 426,440 ----
Performance
!
PostgreSQL's performance is comparable to other commercial and ! open source databases. It is faster for some things, slower for others. In comparison to MySQL or leaner database systems, we are faster for multiple users, complex queries, and a read/write query load. MySQL is faster for simple SELECT queries done by a few users. Of course, MySQL does not have most of the features mentioned in the Features section above. We are built for reliability and features, and we continue to improve performance in every ! release.

*************** *** 498,509 **** "contributions" item is solely to support the PostgreSQL project and does not fund any specific company. If you prefer, you can also send a check to the contact address.

-

Also, if you have a success story about PostgreSQL, please submit it to our advocacy site at http://advocacy.postgresql.org.

User Client Questions

--- 493,504 ---- "contributions" item is solely to support the PostgreSQL project and does not fund any specific company. If you prefer, you can also send a check to the contact address.

Also, if you have a success story about PostgreSQL, please submit it to our advocacy site at http://advocacy.postgresql.org.

+

User Client Questions

*************** *** 544,550 ****

Yes, there are several graphical interfaces to PostgreSQL available. These include PgAccess ! http://www.pgaccess.org), PgAdmin III (http://www.pgadmin.org, RHDB Admin (http://sources.redhat.com/rhdb/ ), TORA (http://www.globecom.net/tora/ --- 539,545 ----

Yes, there are several graphical interfaces to PostgreSQL available. These include PgAccess ! http://www.pgaccess.org), pgAdmin III (http://www.pgadmin.org, RHDB Admin (http://sources.redhat.com/rhdb/ ), TORA (http://www.globecom.net/tora/ *************** *** 674,682 **** kernel's limit on shared memory space. Each buffer is 8K and the default is 1000 buffers.

!

You can also use the sort_mem and work_mem options ! to increase the maximum amount of memory used by the backend processes ! for each temporary sort. The default is 1024 (i.e. 1MB).

You can also use the CLUSTER command to group data in tables to match an index. See the CLUSTER --- 669,677 ---- kernel's limit on shared memory space. Each buffer is 8K and the default is 1000 buffers.

!

You can also use the sort_mem (from PostgreSQL 8.0: work_mem) ! options to increase the maximum amount of memory used by the backend ! processes for each temporary sort. The default is 1024 (i.e. 1MB).

You can also use the CLUSTER command to group data in tables to match an index. See the CLUSTER *************** *** 1170,1183 **** execute("INSERT INTO person (name) VALUES ('Blaise Pascal')"); new_id = execute("SELECT currval('person_id_seq')"); ! ! Finally, you could use the OID returned from the INSERT statement to look up the default value, though this is probably the least portable approach, and the oid value will wrap around when it reaches 4 billion. ! In Perl, using DBI with Edmund Mergl's DBD::Pg module, the oid ! value is made available via $sth->{pg_oid_status} after ! $sth->execute().

4.15.3) Doesn't currval() lead to a race condition with other users?

--- 1165,1178 ---- execute("INSERT INTO person (name) VALUES ('Blaise Pascal')"); new_id = execute("SELECT currval('person_id_seq')"); ! !

Finally, you could use the OID returned from the INSERT statement to look up the default value, though this is probably the least portable approach, and the oid value will wrap around when it reaches 4 billion. ! In Perl, using DBI with the DBD::Pg module, the oid value is made ! available via $sth->{pg_oid_status} after ! $sth->execute().

4.15.3) Doesn't currval() lead to a race condition with other users?

--Boundary-00=_l42wB1dq0vLIQxO-- From pgman@candle.pha.pa.us Sat Jun 6 10:03:53 2026 X-Original-To: pgsql-docs-postgresql.org@localhost.postgresql.org Received: from localhost (unknown [200.46.204.144]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B1EDF3C9609 for ; Sat, 18 Dec 2004 04:13:26 +0000 (GMT) Received: from svr1.postgresql.org ([200.46.204.71]) by localhost (av.hub.org [200.46.204.144]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id 01964-01 for ; Sat, 18 Dec 2004 04:13:18 +0000 (GMT) Received: from candle.pha.pa.us (candle.pha.pa.us [207.106.42.251]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1EA473A918D for ; Sat, 18 Dec 2004 04:13:16 +0000 (GMT) Received: (from pgman@localhost) by candle.pha.pa.us (8.11.6/8.11.6) id iBI4DEK08857; Fri, 17 Dec 2004 23:13:14 -0500 (EST) From: Bruce Momjian Message-Id: <200412180413.iBI4DEK08857@candle.pha.pa.us> Subject: Re: FAQ corrections etc. In-Reply-To: <200412180039.17696.barwick@gmx.net> To: Ian Barwick Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 23:13:14 -0500 (EST) Cc: pgsql-docs@postgresql.org X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4ME+ PL108 (25)] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-new at hub.org X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.005 tagged_above=0 required=5 tests=AWL X-Spam-Level: X-Archive-Number: 200412/20 X-Sequence-Number: 2716 Thanks. Applied. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ian Barwick wrote: > > attached as patch. It contains some minor corrections / clarifications. Note: > > * store.pgsql.com (sec. 1.15) does not work, although it is linked from > http://www.pgsql.com/ - is it dead, or just resting? > > * I've taken the liberty of removing this section: > "There is an interesting Web page comparing PostgreSQL to > MySQL at > http://openacs.org/philosophy/why-not-mysql.html Also, MySQL is > is a company that distributes its products via open source, and requires > a commercial license for close-source software, not an > open source development community like PostgreSQL." > > as the page linked to is hopelessly outdated (May 2000) and the > reference to the license model is IMHO not directly relevant to > the context (performance). > > Ian Barwick [ Attachment, skipping... ] > > ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- > TIP 1: subscribe and unsubscribe commands go to majordomo@postgresql.org -- Bruce Momjian | http://candle.pha.pa.us pgman@candle.pha.pa.us | (610) 359-1001 + If your life is a hard drive, | 13 Roberts Road + Christ can be your backup. | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073