Re: Patent issues and 8.1

Hello all,

With this "paten issue" on hand, can't we come up with a "pluggable" API
and pluggable cache-replacement modules so that folks who care not for US
patents can simply download and load in the "PgARC" module, and those who
can't, just load the "NeilLRU", or a "BetterThanARCCacheReplacement"
module that don't violate those pattents. If the modules all conform to
the same pg-cache-replacement API, they could be swapped on the fly. I
believe the API and the two modules: ARC of Jan and LRU of Neil, can be
implemented for 8.0.1 and be less invasive than just ARC yanked out and
replaced with LRU.

I believe, PGDG does not need to concern itself with removing and all
traces of ARC from CVS or otherwise; on the conrary, it still can ship the
ARC module as an add-on to those who wish. This is possible because the
project is NOT hosted in the US (if I am wrong correct me).

This idea will also help the commercial vendros of PG to write up their
own modules they think best, of if they can't, just always load in LRU in
their commerical deployments of PG in the US.

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Serguei A. Mokhov | /~\ The ASCII
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