Subject: Index / glossary adjustments for Git & GUC

From: Robert Treat <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2025 19:16:40 -0400

Howdy folks,

Two small "clean up" patches. These are against HEAD, though could
likely be backpatched to v18 if one were inclined.

The first patch removes the term "Git" from the acronyms section and
instead creates an index entry that points to our source repository
information.

For the second, ISTM we use the term GUC to refer to parameters pretty
liberally, but the term is not that easy to find in the docs (and
website search gives what is probably the best answer as result #7 of
8). This creates an index entry for the term, as well as a glossary
entry which explains how it is commonly used.

Robert Treat
https://xzilla.net

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From: Daniel Gustafsson <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2025 10:03:43 +0200

> On 13 Aug 2025, at 01:16, Robert Treat <[email-masked]> wrote:

> instead creates an index entry that points to our source repository

This was previously discussed in this thread:

https://postgr.es/m/8241CED6-F408-4660-A1AA-F3393AA26219%40yesql.se

> entry which explains how it is commonly used.

This seems like a good idea.

--
Daniel Gustafsson

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From: Robert Treat <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2025 10:23:08 -0400

> https://postgr.es/m/8241CED6-F408-4660-A1AA-F3393AA26219%40yesql.se

If people feel strongly that users are getting real benefit from our
docs providing a link to wikipedia to explain what git is, I don't see
it but okay... but the true value add for me was adding the index
entry for the source repository information, so I'd like to see that
added either way.

Robert Treat
https://xzilla.net

---

From: Fujii Masao <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2025 11:48:14 +0900

> This seems like a good idea.

+1

+  <glossentry id="glossary-guc">
+   <glossterm>GUC</glossterm>

Should we also include the full term "Grand Unified Configuration" here, e.g.,
"Grand unified configuration (GUC)", similar to how "Log sequence number (LSN)"
is shown in the glossary? Even though it's already in the acronyms docs,
it might be helpful to include it in the glossary as well.

Regards,

-- 
Fujii Masao

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From: Fujii Masao <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2025 11:49:32 +0900

> entry for the source repository information, so I'd like to see that

+1 to add the index entry.

Regards,

-- 
Fujii Masao

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From: Robert Treat <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:12:57 -0400

> it might be helpful to include it in the glossary as well.

So when I first wrote this, I wrote the following:

Originally a short-hand for Grand Unified Configuration, the subsystem
which controls PostgreSQL server configuration, it is now a commonly
used term for the individual configuration parameters themselves.
While typically meant to refer to user settable parameters, it can
also refer to internal or build-time parameters.

That felt a little verbose, and ISTM the more important part was
focusing on GUCs as postgres jargon for parameters rather than
explaining the history (which as you noted is explained elsewhere),
but I can see the argument for completeness over clarity.

Robert Treat
https://xzilla.net

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From: Robert Treat <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2025 10:39:20 -0500

Howdy folks,

While doing some end of year clean up, I noticed I hadn't followed up
on this thread, so attached is an updated set of patches, the first of
which adds the index entry for git, and the second which adds the
glossary entry for GUC, both in accordance with the above feedback.

Robert Treat
https://xzilla.net

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From: Fujii Masao <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2026 15:30:37 +0900

> glossary entry for GUC, both in accordance with the above feedback.

Thanks for updating the patches! LGTM.

Barring any objections, I'll commit them.

Regards,

-- 
Fujii Masao

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From: Fujii Masao <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2026 14:00:08 +0900

> Barring any objections, I'll commit them.

I've pushed the patches. Thanks!

Regards,

-- 
Fujii Masao