X-Original-To: pgsql-sql-postgresql.org@localhost.postgresql.org Received: from localhost (unknown [200.46.204.144]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C139F3A571A for ; Thu, 13 Jan 2005 12:06:03 +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 31799-10 for ; Thu, 13 Jan 2005 12:05:49 +0000 (GMT) Received: from smtp100.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com (smtp100.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com [206.190.36.78]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with SMTP id F00443A48A5 for ; Thu, 13 Jan 2005 12:05:51 +0000 (GMT) Received: from unknown (HELO phlogiston.dydns.org) (a.sullivan@rogers.com@216.75.167.195 with login) by smtp100.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com with SMTP; 13 Jan 2005 12:05:51 -0000 Received: by phlogiston.dydns.org (Postfix, from userid 1000) id 887183F9E; Thu, 13 Jan 2005 07:05:49 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 07:05:49 -0500 From: Andrew Sullivan To: "'pgsql-sql@postgresql.org'" Subject: Re: Syntax error while altering col-type Message-ID: <20050113120549.GA31357@phlogiston.dyndns.org> Mail-Followup-To: "'pgsql-sql@postgresql.org'" References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.6+20040907i X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-new at hub.org X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.029 tagged_above=0 required=5 tests=AWL, FORGED_RCVD_HELO X-Spam-Level: X-Archive-Number: 200501/81 X-Sequence-Number: 19869 On Thu, Jan 13, 2005 at 09:48:02AM +0100, KÖPFERL Robert wrote: > I'm a little bit perplexed now... is it really the case that pre 8.0 systems > aren't able to change col-types? It really is. In fact, the feature was (IIRC) somewhat controversial, because there are all sorts of decisions that need to be made about what to do with incompatible types. What if you change from int8 to int4? What about varchar(4) to char(4)? Just to name two simple-minded examples. See the -general and -hackers archives for plenty of previous discussion of this stuff. A -- Andrew Sullivan | ajs@crankycanuck.ca When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do sir? --attr. John Maynard Keynes