http://www.pgsql.com/register/submit.php

I've always been uneasy about the notice at the end of the installation
process that asks the user to register at

http://www.pgsql.com/register/submit.php

Now some users have also complained to me about that, so I'm wondering
what others think about it.

First, I think collecting addresses from users is something that an
open-source project should never do. It's what makes them stand out from
packages with annoying license requirements.

Second, do we really get anything useful out of those registrations?
Maybe in the early days, anyone who was insane enough to try PostgreSQL
was worth rejoicing about, but now I think we get a pretty good overview
over the uses in other ways.

Third, the method is flawed, because only users that install source
packages manually are invited to register. I believe that the majority of
users use prepackaged versions.

Fourth, the registration is run not by the project but by a commercial
company. That seems inappropriate for all the reasons you can imagine.

Comments?

--
Peter Eisentraut peter_e(at)gmx(dot)net