Re: Fixed length datatypes. WAS [GENERAL] UUID's as

On Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 12:38:50PM -0500, Jim C. Nasby wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 01:18:39PM -0400, A.M. wrote:
> > On Wed, June 28, 2006 1:14 pm, mark(at)mark(dot)mielke(dot)cc wrote:
> > > On Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 06:39:16PM +0200, Thomas Hallgren wrote:
> > >> Instead, I would like to humbly request the inclusion of a UUID
> > >> datatype (or an opaque 128 bit datatype) in the core package. It's
> > >> increasingly common and some databases (MS SQLServer) already have built
> > >> in support for it.
> > > We have it. We're just not putting in the effort required to have it
> > > included in core, as it's too much effort to convince people that the type
> > > has value, that is is generic, and would be widely used without being
> > > abused. All the geometric types that I'll never use in core, with few or
> > > no uses, including functions to operate on these types, and no UUID
> > > type... Hehe... To me, that's irony... :-)
> > Is it on pgfoundry? From past discussions, the new criteria for getting
> > something into core is to first determine if it is successful on
> > pgfoundry.
> If http://lnk.nu/pgfoundry.org/a86.php is accurate, then no one has ever
> downloaded it. But I find that exceptionally hard to believe...
>
> Looking back through the list archives I think you'd find this comes up
> at least every few months.

I've downloaded the version off pgfoundry.org. It is broken. It leaks
memory, and if memory is correct it can cause the client to core dump.

Two of us worked on a re-write based off a different UUID system library,
and I've been happily using it in production for a year or so. I don't
believe either of us have bothered to market it. Each time it comes up,
a number of people on this list shut it down, and it doesn't seem worth
the effort to convince them otherwise. They can have their ivory tower,
and I can have my plugin.

Cheers,
mark

--
mark(at)mielke(dot)cc / markm(at)ncf(dot)ca / markm(at)nortel(dot)com __________________________
. . _ ._ . . .__ . . ._. .__ . . . .__ | Neighbourhood Coder
|\/| |_| |_| |/ |_ |\/| | |_ | |/ |_ |
| | | | | \ | \ |__ . | | .|. |__ |__ | \ |__ | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all
and in the darkness bind them...

http://mark.mielke.cc/