7.4 Press Release - Mailing list pgsql-advocacy

Fleshing this out a bit more...

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The PostgreSQL Global Development Group is pleased to announce the
availability of version 7.4 of the PostgreSQL database management
system. This significant release represents the work of our world wide
network of over 100 developers and contributors over the last 9 months,
building on the unparalleled success of our 7.3 release in November
2002.

Significant advances in the new version include:

        - A complete redesign of error logging and reporting, providing
      developers with an SQL99 compliant mechanism for debugging and
trouble shooting, while at the same time providing users real
      time suggestions on how to avoid error conditions in their
      applications.

        - A redesign of subquery handling with the IN() clause resulting
      in considerable speed improvements.

        - The implementation of SQL99 compliant Information Schema,
      providing developers with database, type, object, and
      configuration information in a standard compliant way.

        - Statement level triggers, enabling developers and users define
      and customized behavior of the database when data is stored and
manipulated.

        - Read only transactions, which bring a greater level of
      security to web and enterprise applications by protecting data
      from modification.

        - Performance improvements to data warehousing functionality.

As well as many, many other features and improvements.


A Timely Release

In making the release, the PostgreSQL Global Development Group had to
balance the large number of features planned for release with a
consistent release cycle, which provides loyal users with enhancements
as quickly as possible. <Insert quote from core developer reinforcing
this>

<Insert quote from user(s) about business critical nature of features
released in this version>


Source for this release is available at:
    http://www.postgresql.org/mirrors-ftp.html

More information on PostgreSQL is available in ten languages on the
PostgreSQL Advocacy website:
    http://advocacy.postgresql.org

A complete list of changes in PostgreSQL version 7.3 can be found in the
HISTORY file included with the release, or available on the web at:
    ???

About PostgreSQL:
    With more than 16 years of development by hundreds of the world's
most generous and brilliant minds from the open source community,
PostgreSQL is the world's most advanced open source database. With its
long time support of an enterprise level feature set including
transactions, stored procedures, triggers, and subqueries, PostgreSQL is
being used by many of today's most demanding businesses and government
agencies.

    Corporations such as BASF, Red Hat, Afilias Limited (suporting the
technical back-end of the .org and .info domains), Cisco, Chrysler, and
3Com rely on PostgreSQL's rock solid performance record and open
development process. PostgreSQL is available under a BSD License for
both commercial and non-commercial use.

To find out more about PostgreSQL or to download it, please visit:
    http://www.postgresql.org


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Questions / Comments:

1) I pulled the 100 developer number from thin air, Greg, can you whip
up some numbers on the number of developers that contributed for this
cycle? (I seem to recall you did this last year)

2) What were the improvements for data warehousing? I don't remember
anything specific to that cause.

3) I'm thinking over chopping the last two features off and grouping
them in with an other features list including
 - Functional indexes have been generalized into expressional indexes
 - Pattern matching operations can use indexes regardless of locale
 - Reimplementation of NUMERIC datatype for more speed
 - New regular expression package, many more regexp features (most of
   Perl5)
 - Object owners can allow grantees to grant the privilege to others
   (grant option)
 - Completely Overhauled and Simplified Documentation

ok well, obviously not with the above wordings, but you get the idea...
any thoughts?

4) Still working on a quote regarding the need to release sooner rather
than later, if anyone has any ideas please speak up.

5) On the quote about biz critical features, Justin, since your closest
to the case studies work, can you dig up some quotes from end users re:
postgresql?  I think we should only include two, but maybe we can get a
half dozen to choose from?

6) Where to put the complete changelog? On the developers site? We need
a place going forward that makes sense for both major and minor
releases...

7) The company list... anyone have anyone new and exciting we could put
in there? Anyone in the global 100 would be great even if you don't
think they are popular..


Robert Treat
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Build A Brighter Lamp :: Linux Apache {middleware} PostgreSQL