operating "inet" type

Greetings,

I'm confused, that PostgreSQL seems to don't have operators/functions
for examining/modifying "inet" data type. No any octet/word-based means
(like extract/replace), no even, trivial integer increments.
No conversions, except conversion to symbolic string (parsing it is
a mess and overhead). No even binary string conversions.

You can do integer compare two "inet" values, but you can't do
integer increment (i.e. increment inet value by integer).

I understand, that developers has more important things to do, but
they left "inet" type w/o any ways to work w/ it.
Parsing "inet" converted text can't be, seriously, taken as alternative,
but using numeric types to store addresses (and ignore native "inet"
type) really, can.

I'm using PostgreSQL 7.4.3, Can 8.0.1 do more ?

Thank you.

Ilya A. Kovalenko (mailto:shadow(at)oganer(dot)net)
SpecialEQ SW section
JSC Oganer-Service