Re: drupal.org MySQL database issues - Mailing list pgsql-advocacy

On 18/05/07, Robert Treat <xzilla@users.sourceforge.net> wrote:
> On Thursday 17 May 2007 15:15, Andrew Sullivan wrote:
> > On Thu, May 17, 2007 at 02:52:41PM -0400, Joshua Kramer wrote:
> > > I won't argue for or against any team members doing item b.  However,
> > > Shashank noted that there *are* MySQL people doing this, and their effort
> > > is paying off.  Ergo, if some of our community wanted to expend effort in
> > > "integration efforts" rather than "promotion efforts", Postgres would
> > > gain additional traction in the web hosting community.  That's what
> > > Shashank is saying.
> >
> > Well, Shashank also said quite clearly that PostgreSQL is harder to
> > use than MySQL in these cases.  Harder how?  I don't know, and I am
> > surely not the person who can learn from experience, because nothing
> > that I do puts me into any contact with making PostgreSQL play with
> > plesk or any of that other stuff.


Yes that is precisely what I said. MySQL and PgSQL both come as icons
on my Cpanel. Now, because PgSQL had to be separately installed. With
8.x this is not as cumbersome as it used to be before, which
practically kept people off it. Most people anyway, who did not want
to spend days just to get something installed and working. MySQL by
comparison was always a cinch to get working.

But even today, when I have both MySQL and PgSQL, here is how they function:

1. MySQL: I login to cpanel, then I click on PhpMyAdmin and boom, I'm
using the database. It.just.works.

2. PgSQL: I login to cpanel, then I click on PhpPgAdmin, and the login
does not work. I try the password I have given to my entire root
account, that doesn't work either. I then try the username and
password for user 'psql' and that doesn't work either. I write to my
hosting provider, and wait. Google finds this -
http://faq.cpanel.net/show.cgi?qa=110252867609499 - which I personally
understand, but I think, hmm this is why Johnny Average doesn't use
Postgres yet.

As for Cpanel, as much as people think it is 'crap', it is used for
hosting nearly half the dedicated servers on the planet -- and with
add-ons and skinning, it is among the most professional platforms out
there; if not, please share your thoughts on alternatives.

MySQL is being used on some of the biggest forums online, inter alia,
which have about 20,000 users logged in at *any given time*. Imagine
the number of queries going in from a BBS script. If Postgres could
have a bit of this "it just works" mindshare, I am sure BBS would come
with Postgres as the default too.

And no, seeing Postgres being used on more hosts around the world will
not kill us. We don't need to sit around tuning Postgres for anyone or
any particular tools, or drop any effort for HOT and so forth. I am
merely speaking of making just a little bit of extra effort, supported
by this "open source group", to make it work with the big widespread
platforms.

I do not run any Postgres-related training shops or businesses so I do
not have any vested interests in promoting it, beyond simply loving
the product, so feel free to take this suggestion with a grain of
salt. I won't be surprised :)