Re: 7.4 Press Release -- Draft #3 - Mailing list pgsql-advocacy

> The PostgreSQL Global Development Group is pleased to announce the
> availability of version 7.4 of the PostgreSQL relational database
> management system (RDBMS).

Case -> Relational Database Management System (RDBMS).

> This significant release

This major 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.

nix "our 7.3 release in November 2002" and replace with just,
"PostgreSQL 7.3".  The date for when 7.3 was released isn't needed
since we've just given the reader a rough time line with the amount of
time between releases (9 months).

> 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
>      troubleshooting, 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.

Might be worth while mentioning something like the following to go
with the above point:

      Other additional planner improvements have brought PostgreSQL's
      performance inline with the large RDBMS vendors.

>    - The implementation of SQL99 compliant Information Schema,
>      providing developers with database, type, object, and
>      configuration information in a standards compliant way.
>
>    - Statement level triggers, enabling developers and users to 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.

How about "Explicit JOINs no longer constrain query plan, unless
JOIN_COLLAPSE_LIMIT = 1"?  This is kind of a big deal for MS SQL
users/organizations..  Targeting their audience would be good and
increase our user uptake from their dept.

    When enabled, the planner can now automatically optimize the
    join order of queries: a feature found in a few commercial
    RDBMS's that can reduce the time busy DBAs need to spend
    optimizing queries.

>    Other improvements include:
>    - Performance improvements for data warehousing

Does this mean the NUMERIC handling?

>    - Enhanced implementation of functional indexes
>    - Addition of polymorphic function arguments and return types
>    - Significant enhancements to array data types
>    - Completely overhauled and simplified documentation
>    - An auto-vacuum feature to help simplify database maintenance

Update multi-byte regexp package is a big deal for intl users.

If it gets mentioned, 24/7 installations are going to really push for
upgrading to this release because of the index growth problem that was
quenched in this version.  Something like:

    Infinite index growth can now be prevented with frequent VACUUMs

Mentioning the protocol change is also probably important here.

    New wire protocol (version 3) increases the speed of data transfers.

I haven't benchmarked it, but from what I've read of the protocol
spec, it likely does.  Tom might want to confirm this.  More efficient
BYTEA transfers is a big deal for the medical community that's storing
MRIs in PostgreSQL.

Mentioning support for AMD's Opteron would also be a good bit to have
since that says, "we're a safe database to base your business around
because we move with the times and support cutting edge hardware, even
though the project has been around forever."

> As well as many other features and improvements.
>
>
> <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:
>     <insert url for changelog>
>
> 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 (supporting 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/
>
> --- outstanding issues --
> 1. Should we drop the "A timely release" paragraph?

Yes.

> 3. Need a URL for the changelog

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/7.4static/release.html#RELEASE-7-4


Sorry for putting on my editor hat so late in the announcement
drafting process. -sc

--
Sean Chittenden