Re: postgresql 7.1 - Mailing list pgsql-general

This sort of thing had crossed my mind because of sendmail (among many other
open source projects).  Tring to get up to date info on running it (8.10
version) and the "BEST" book out there is 8.x version, which really is not
too relevant for 8.10 features.

Versioning changes often as well as new features and revisions of old ones.
Also, compilation issues always change from release to release.  For a
publishing company it would be expensive to constantly put out a book for
each version that entails everything. Plus, consumers really don't want to
keep buying the same material over and over again.

For prohjects such as this that have commercial documentation, why don't
they have "patches" for printed books also?

Example, Software 1.0, author releases a full fledged book called Software
1.0 Bible.  Contains compiling issues, how to use the software, etc.  All
that you could want from a 40-60 dollar book.  Software 1.1 is release 3
months later.  After that author writes a short and concise book titled
Software Bible from 1.0 to 1.1.  Doesn't cover the same info as 1.0 Bible.
Goes into as much detail as the first book did, but only involving new info
pertaining to 1.1 (and mayhaps a chapter on upgrading from 1.0 to 1.1).  So
instead of another 400 page book, maybe it is only 100, depending on the new
feature set from version to version. Book assumes you HAVE read 1.0 Bible or
know enough about 1.0 where you don't need it.

Software keeps doing releases and the same production release for books
follows.  After two years, Software 2.0 comes out (implying a significant
version difference from 1.0).  A new book is written (re-written) and it
starts from scratch and called Software 2.0 Bible.  Same book "patch"
schedule is followed as previously, etc.

It would be an interesting documentation project that would really keep
information organized and relatively accessible ('cause sometimes digging
through webpages and email groups is too time consuming).


Adam Lang
Systems Engineer
Rutgers Casualty Insurance Company
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Momjian" <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>
To: "Efrain Caro" <betsemes@hotmail.com>
Cc: <pgsql-general@postgresql.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2000 11:29 AM
Subject: Re: [GENERAL] postgresql 7.1


> [ Charset ISO-8859-1 unsupported, converting... ]
> > So a new version will be out soon. How often Bruce's book will be
revised?
> > With each new version?
>
> Good question.  I know the initial printing run was reduced, perhaps so
> new editions could be made.
>
> I do the entire book here, and deliver camera-ready copy, so the process
> of generating a new edition is pretty easy.
>
> --
>   Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
>   pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 853-3000
>   +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  830 Blythe Avenue
>   +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026