Re: Re: [SQL] Re: [GENERAL] lztext and compression ratios... - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Tom Lane
Subject Re: Re: [SQL] Re: [GENERAL] lztext and compression ratios...
Date
Msg-id 10712.962988749@sss.pgh.pa.us
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: Re: [SQL] Re: [GENERAL] lztext and compression ratios...  (Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>)
List pgsql-hackers
Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us> writes:
>> Unless the differential is huge we might want to just skip the
>> patent worries.

> If we found later that there was a patent problem, could we just issue a
> new release with a new compression algorithm?

Yeah, we could, and it could presumably even be a fully compatible
dot-release with no change to the on-disk representation.  That
representation and consequently the decompression algorithm are safe
enough, it's the details of the compressor's search for matching
patterns that are a patent minefield.

However, changing the code after-the-fact might not be enough to keep us
from being sued :-(.  I'd rather use something that's pretty well
established as being in the clear...
        regards, tom lane


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