From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
To: =?UTF-8?Q?J=c3=bcrgen_Purtz?= <juergen@purtz.de>
cc: Pg Docs <pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: obsolete indexing method "rtree"
In-reply-to: <9cda4603-76d0-b063-5dc3-a9a99506340b@purtz.de>
References: <9cda4603-76d0-b063-5dc3-a9a99506340b@purtz.de>
Comments: In-reply-to =?UTF-8?Q?J=c3=bcrgen_Purtz?= <juergen@purtz.de>
	message dated "Wed, 05 Aug 2020 13:30:39 +0200"
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Date: Wed, 05 Aug 2020 10:01:28 -0400
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=?UTF-8?Q?J=c3=bcrgen_Purtz?= <juergen@purtz.de> writes:
> We removed the indexing method "rtree" in version 8.3 and replaced it 
> with "gist". Until today there are some "rtree" heritages:

>   * "CREATE INDEX ... USING rtree ..." is valid syntax and leads to the
>     message "NOTICE:  substituting access method gist for obsolete
>     method rtree"
>   * The documentation refers to the method in ref/comments.sgml and
>     ref/create_index.sgml.
>   * The documentation uses the term "R-Tree" in gist.sgml, seg.sgml, and
>     xindex.sgml. That's ok because in this cases it refers to the
>     abstract concept of R-trees and not to the eliminated implementation.

> Isn't it time to disallow this syntax and remove all references and 
> messages?

Why?  It's not hurting anything to continue the substitution in CREATE
INDEX.  The example in comments.sgml is just an example, and is not
meant to reflect a built-in object any more than the adjacent examples
are.

Possibly the comment in seg.sgml should be adjusted to refer to GiST
indexes --- but then again, it's not entirely clear whether it's even
still relevant for GiST indexes.  Perhaps it's talking about a deficiency
that was specific to the old rtree code.

			regards, tom lane