Re: Utility database (Was: RE: Autovacuum in the backend)

From: Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>
To: "Dave Page" <dpage(at)vale-housing(dot)co(dot)uk>
Cc: "Andreas Pflug" <pgadmin(at)pse-consulting(dot)de>, "Christopher Kings-Lynne" <chriskl(at)familyhealth(dot)com(dot)au>, "Magnus Hagander" <mha(at)sollentuna(dot)net>, "Josh Berkus" <josh(at)agliodbs(dot)com>, pgsql-hackers(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: Utility database (Was: RE: Autovacuum in the backend)
Date: 2005-06-18 05:36:34
Message-ID: 9294.1119072994@sss.pgh.pa.us
Views: Raw Message | Whole Thread | Download mbox | Resend email
Thread:
Lists: pgsql-hackers

"Dave Page" <dpage(at)vale-housing(dot)co(dot)uk> writes:
> Personally I prefer the first or last, as default implies to me that
> it's a kindof general use database - which, as Tom points out it could
> be, however I think it's better to encourage users to only use it as
> directed by tool providers, and not for general purpose.

If that is what you want then the database should surely not become the
default connection target for clients.

The proposal I thought was being made was that we separate the
default-connection-target property from the default-CREATE-DATABASE-source
property. This business about where tool authors can dump random junk
of their own devising does not seem to me to fit at all with either of
those properties. I think what you are really asking for is yet another
"standard" database named something like TOOLS_ONLY_KEEP_OUT.

But I do not see the argument for having that created by default,
because any tool that is capable of creating random junk is surely
capable of creating a database to put it in. Furthermore, if it's
created by default and completely unused in the default installation,
lots of DBAs will immediately drop it --- so I entirely fail to see
the argument that tools could expect it to be there without any
expenditure of their own effort.

I still say the most that's needed here is some agreement among tool
authors about a common choice of database name to create if their tool
is installed.

regards, tom lane

In response to

Responses

Browse pgsql-hackers by date

  From Date Subject
Next Message Tom Lane 2005-06-18 05:43:01 Re: Utility database
Previous Message Tom Lane 2005-06-18 05:26:16 Re: LGPL