Dennis Bjorklund <db@zigo.dhs.org> writes:
> Is the reason to use name at all in pg "just" about speed, or is there
> some other reason?
Peter already explained it: we like fixed-width fields in system
catalogs so that we can overlay C struct definitions onto the tuples.
This is a fairly significant notational advantage in the backend code,
whether or not you care about speed.
regards, tom lane
