Re: The reasoning behind having several features outside of source?

On Monday 25 October 2004 14:19, nd02tsk(at)student(dot)hig(dot)se wrote:
> Why is it that PostgreSQL chooses to have features like replication,
> fulltext indexing and GIS maintained by others outside of the sourcetree?

I'll make the attempt to answer best I can.

PostgreSQL's architecture is very open and highly extensible. Several
different solutions for these particular pieces have been independently
developed, simply because the extensibility API is so flexible. Since they
were originally developed outside the main source tree, many have tended to
stay outside the main source tree and be maintained by their original
developers.

This is a result of the extensible design and a certain perlesque TMTOWTDI
mindset.

Since these features started out that way it is easier for the maintainers and
developers of the main source tree to continue that relationship, since it
keeps the main source tree cleaner and simpler for those who don't
necessarily need the features in question. Further, the main tree's
developers might not want to select one particular implementation (such as in
replication) over another one, since they might meet different needs of
different groups. In particular, there are several replication solutions
available, each meeting a different set of needs.

But the API used is robust and reliable, making these modules have the
potential to be just as robust and reliable as the main source tree.

This is a FAQ, but I'm not sure if it is addressed in any of our written FAQ
lists.
--
Lamar Owen
Director of Information Technology
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
1 PARI Drive
Rosman, NC 28772
(828)862-5554
www.pari.edu