Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2003 00:14:32 -0800
From: David Fetter <david@fetter.org>
To: Robert Treat <xzilla@users.sourceforge.net>
Cc: PostgreSQL WWW <pgsql-www@postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: Outdated docs on techdocs
Message-ID: <20031227081432.GL1158@fetter.org>
References: <20031218162658.GJ19694@fetter.org>
	<1071765850.25090.8647.camel@camel>
	<20031218165349.GL19694@fetter.org>
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On Thu, Dec 18, 2003 at 08:53:50AM -0800, David Fetter wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 18, 2003 at 11:44:10AM -0500, Robert Treat wrote:
> > On Thu, 2003-12-18 at 11:26, David Fetter wrote:
> > > Kind people,
> > > 
> > > There are some pieces of techdocs that now supply inaccurate
> > > info.  For example,
> > > http://techdocs.postgresql.org/techdocs/updatingcolumns.php
> > > 
> > > says some things that are no longer true about ALTER TABLE,
> > > which is confusing at best.  Is there some way to remove it
> > > pending edits?  I'd be happy to do the edits :)
> > 
> > Well... I can see that information being useful to people on older
> > systems, so I can add a disclaimer that some of the information no
> > longer applies to newer versions of postgresql until you can get
> > the editing done.
> 
> Can do.  Where do I get it, and how do I submit the edits?

Ya know, looking over this one and a couple of others, they should
just be marked 'Obsolete.'

Here's what I've found so far on http://techdocs.postgresql.org:

Updating columns in PostgreSQL tables effectively by Joel Burton
Compensating for Unimplemented Features in PostgreSQL 7.1 by John Pagakis and Todd Gauthier
Oracle Style Data Dictionary views for PostgreSQL by Chris Brown
--hasn't been updated in over 2 years, and PostgreSQL now has its own
data dictionary.

The following whole sections refer to uselessly out-of-date versions
of PostgreSQL:

"Known Bugs and Fixes"
"Source code and additional functions"
"Startup/shutdown scripts for PostgreSQL"

This one's slightly amusing:
PostgreSQL 101 by Shridhar Daithankar

ib/WikiDB/backend/PearDB.php:698: Fatal[256]: wikidb_backend_mysql:
fatal database error

    * DB Error: unknown error
    * (SELECT linkee.* FROM link, page AS linker, page AS linkee WHERE
    * linkfrom=linker.id AND linkto=linkee.id AND
    * linker.pagename='PostgresQL101' ORDER BY linkee.pagename
    * [nativecode=1030 ** Got error 28 from table handler])

The PostgreSQL FAQ is at http://www.postgresql.org/docs/faqs/FAQ.html
not http://www.postgresql.org/docs/FAQ.html

Re: the MySQL section, just my NSHO, all the entries except Joel
Barton's excellent "Things to find out about when moving from MySQL to
PostgreSQL" should come with a disclaimer like:

    Although these can help you transfer raw data from a MySQL
    database, you must consider the work only partially done at that
    point.  You will almost certainly need to re-design the database,
    as it will have been designed around MySQL's inherant
    limitations.

BTW, is there something that goes through regularly and checks to see
if the links still link?  If there isn't, I can find one to put in
cron & report to whomever it should report to :)

Cheers,
D
-- 
David Fetter david@fetter.org http://fetter.org/
phone: +1 510 893 6100    cell: +1 415 235 3778