Re: BUG #4551: Implementation of the "line" type.. - Mailing list pgsql-bugs

From Peter Eisentraut
Subject Re: BUG #4551: Implementation of the "line" type..
Date
Msg-id 200811281657.56372.peter_e@gmx.net
Whole thread Raw
In response to BUG #4551: Implementation of the "line" type..  ("Barry Sanford" <barry.sanford@trimjoist.com>)
Responses Re: BUG #4551: Implementation of the "line" type..  (Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>)
Re: BUG #4551: Implementation of the "line" type..  (John R Pierce <pierce@hogranch.com>)
List pgsql-bugs
On Friday 28 November 2008 15:31:51 Barry Sanford wrote:
> looking at PostgreSQL, I noticed that you have various geometric data types
> as standard.  However, I was somewhat surprised that you are attempting to
> implement the 'line' type via a two point scheme.  While this is okay for
> line segments, it totally sucks for infinite lines in a plane or space.

Well, it's the way Euclid defined it.  (Yes, PostgreSQL is really
old ... ;-) )

No really, the built-in geometry types are considered kind of legacy.  If you
want to deal with something more modern, you may want to look into PostGIS.

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