Re: timezones to own config file

Martijn van Oosterhout <kleptog(at)svana(dot)org> writes:
> Any particular reason this can't be a normal table in pg_catalog which
> you can select/update.

That doesn't do anything to help with one of the main problems: that
we have at least two (maybe more) alternative sets of names that people
might want as default. Getting rid of "australian_timezones" is fine,
but we can't do it by saying "all you aussies have to hack the standard
list according to your own ideas". I don't expect that very many people
will actually need to make custom timezone name lists --- if we find
they do, we'll need to work harder on the default lists. So the design
center should be "select one of a few predefined lists", not "hack away
on system catalog until you like it". Especially not if they have to do
it in template0, template1, postgres, etc. Basically, a GUC variable is
just about the right paradigm for this, a system catalog isn't.

I'd also be a bit worried about performance issues, eg, whether VACUUM
FULL on such a table would bring datetime operations to a halt.

regards, tom lane