PostgreSQL Version 7.3 Released! (repost) - Mailing list pgsql-general

For Immediate Release                               November 28th, 2002

Contacts:
Justin Clift
justin@postgresql.org
+61.3 9363 1313 (Australia)

Marc Fournier
scrappy@postgresql.org
+1.902 542 0713 (Canada)


     PostgreSQL Global Development Group Announces Version 7.3

     The PostgreSQL Global Development Group proudly announces the
release of version 7.3 of the PostgreSQL object-relational database
management system (ORDBMS). PostgreSQL, the world's most advanced
open source database, provides solutions for many of the most demanding
applications in use today, saving businesses and governments millions
of dollars each year.

     Here is what some current PostgreSQL users have gone on record
to say about this technology:

    "PostgreSQL has scaled perfectly with our rapidly expanding
business, and we recommend it over every other DB."
        -- TrustCommerce, California

    "PostgreSQL provided sales.org with a solution that was $70,000
less expensive to create, and over 70% lower in cost to operate and
maintain than any of the commercial DBMS offerings we looked at."
        -- sales.org Inc., Toronto

    "PostgreSQL handles virtually all the standard SQL constructs.
It is easy (relatively speaking) to administer, it is fast, it is
efficient, it has a great API, and it supports ODBC, why would you
choose something else?"
        -- Mohawk Software, Massachusetts

    The worldwide PostgreSQL community is very excited about this
release, which includes numerous modifications and enhancements thanks
to the contributions of over 500 developers and thousands of volunteer
testers from more than 50 countries.

    "PostgreSQL 7.3 is full of new, oft requested features such as
SQL '92 schemas, prepared statements, and stored procedures that can
return record sets. And under the hood there is a new dependency tracking
system that allows PostgreSQL to *safely* support many more subtle
enhancements like the ability to drop columns," said Neil Conway, a
member of the PostgreSQL Global Development Team.

Among the advances in PostgreSQL version 7.3 are:

    Schemas
        PostgreSQL now joins the handful of ORDBMS's to support
        the SQL 92 Schema specification, improving both enterprise
        database management and security through the use of namespaces.

    Table Functions
        PostgreSQL version 7.3 has greatly simplified returning result sets
        of rows and columns in database functions.  This significantly
        enhances the useability of stored procedures in PostgreSQL, and will
        make it even easier to port Oracle applications to PostgreSQL.

    Security Advances
        In response to community demands, PostgreSQL has added schema,
        function, and other permissions and settings to increase the database
        administrator's granular control over security.

    Other Enhancements to PostgreSQL Version 7.3 includes:
        - Enhanced dependency tracking for complex databases.
        - Prepared queries for maximized performance on common requests.
        - Expanded logging options
        - Supports data in many international characters sets (UNICODE, EUC_JP,
          EUC_CN, EUC_KR, JOHAB, EUC_TW, ISO 8859-1 ECMA-94, KOI8, WIN1256, etc...)
        - Dozens of performance enhancements to maintain PostgreSQL's leading
          position in ORDMBSs.

Source for this release is available at:
    http://advocacy.postgresql.org/download/

More information on PostgreSQL is available in nine 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:
    http://advocacy.postgresql.org/changes/73/

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.

    Corporations such as BASF, Red Hat, Afilias Limited (suporting the technical
backend 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://advocacy.postgresql.org