Re: The naming question (Postgres vs PostgreSQL)

Stefan Kaltenbrunner wrote:
> Derek Rodner wrote:
> > Brian,
> >
> >
> >
> > I respectfully disagree. It can?t just be the maintainers that make the
> > decision. In reality, there should be a marketing board for Postgres
> > and those folks should make the decision in coordination with all
> > parties involved including those who would have to change doc, those who
> > would have to change code, etc. I know advocacy was supposed to be the
> > marketing-like group, but it is too big of a group with too many
> > opinions that don?t matter, mine included.
>
> imho this decision is one that -core has to take in the end

Uh, actually no, at least in the past. Back in 1996 when we chose
PostgreSQL over Postgres, the core group didn't want PostgreSQL for
reasons mentioned (see
http://momjian.us/main/writings/pgsql/great_steps.pdf, slide 22ff). The
bottom line in that case is that the user community chose the name, even
though core thought it would lead to the problems we have found,
including the pronouncability issue. (The "SQL" was added to highlight
that we now had SQL, rather than QUEL, so at the time there was a
purpose for the "SQL", but obviously not now, i.e. everyone knows we
have SQL.)

Off topic, this highlights something I have said privately to folks but
not as much publicly. Core tries to do as little as possible,
particularly so non-core feel as involved in the project as core. Core
officially only handle discipline issues and cases where a company needs
to speak to the project privately. We also can break a vote tie. In
almost every other case, our sway is only as strong as our public
arguments in email threads. This style has served our community well
and hopefully will continue indefinitely.

(FYI, a few weeks ago David Fetter stated I had less sway than in the
past. I should have replied that I hope I always hold no sway. I and
other core members should never hold any special sway in discussions
except based on the validity of our opinions and judgement stated in the
discussion, i.e. not because we are core members.)

--
Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> http://momjian.us
EnterpriseDB http://www.enterprisedb.com

+ If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +