mySQL has the same problems. Perhaps worse.I know u do not do mySQL stuff, but still.
I can go fix this by changing the permissions of /var/run and /var/run/postgresql/ direc tories but then one will have to change it every single time I want to start the databse. O by the way starting it as a service is even worse because the then it wants to work in it own data directory.
Can this not be fixed, I mean linux is linux whichever flavour one my want to use?.
Fortunately not all linux programs have these strange permissions hickups.
Typically a postgres installation configured in such a way expects that the master process is started by the user named postgres. You can achieve that by using sudo(1) command, e.g: sudo -u postgres COMMAND
Not sure why are you trying to start it in foreground. Please refer to documentation for pg_ctl(1) and your distribution init system. Something like the following should have equivalent effect (that is, starting postgres):
$ sudo pg_ctl -D /bigdisk/data/postgres start
OR
$ sudo service postgresql start
Debian and derivative systems such as Ubuntu provide pg_ctlcluster(1) command to manage multiple clusters and PostgreSQL versions.
Can you elaborate on the problems you encounter when PostgreSQL is started as a service?