Re: [HACKERS] Priorities for 6.6 - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

>
> It would be cool to have Perl interface to postgres internals!
> Unfortunately I'm not C programmer. I think Edmund could do this.

    Now  I've  got  a sequence overflow counting the requests for
    something like PL/Perl!

    Even if I can't believe, could it be that there are too  many
    Perl users vs. Perl developers?

    Several  times  I  clearly  said  that I don't know much more
    about  Perl  than  that  it's  YASL  (Yet  Another  Scripting
    Language).

    But ...

    1. I've  designed  and  implemented the PL interface into the
       PostgreSQL  function  manager  including  the  CREATE/DROP
       PROCEDURAL LANGUAGE statements.

    2. I've  added  the procedural languages PL/Tcl and PL/pgSQL,
       which are described in the programmers  manual  and  which
       are both used since v6.4 outside in the world.

    3. I've  offered help for building PL/Perl several times now.
       But only "it would be nice if someone else  ..."  requests
       are coming in.

    Some  years  ago  I  searched for a general purpose scripting
    language.  I found Tcl, which has a graphical user  interface
    (Tk)  and  is supported on the platforms I need (all UN*X and
    (for sake) Windows-NT/95).  Since then I've created a  couple
    of  Tcl  interfaces  to things, it cannot do by default (like
    SAP remote function calls - not available as open  source  so
    don't  call for :-( ). The simpleness it uses for interfacing
    foreign  things  is  why  it's  called  the   "Tool   Command
    Language".

    This  simpleness gave me the power to create PL/Tcl. PL/pgSQL
    was my answer  to  requests  about  a  native  language  that
    doesn't  depend  on any other thing installed on a PostgreSQL
    target system.

    To explain point 3 in detail: I still  feel  responsible  for
    the  function managers procedural language interface -- since
    I created it. BUT I WOULDN'T LEARN PERL PLUS IT'S API ONLY TO
    PROVIDE PL/Perl TO THE {U|LOO}SER-COMMUNITY!  That would mean
    to get responsible for  one  more  thing  I  don't  need  for
    myself.

    If  there's  (only  one)  Perl  PROGRAMMER  out  in the world
    reading this, who does see a (however small)  possibility  to
    explain  how to integrate a Perl interpreter into PostgreSQL,
    RESPOND!!!!!!!!!!!

    I'll let y'all know about the responses  I  got.  Even  if  I
    don't  expect a single one where a PL/Perl could result from.

    Maybe Perl isn't the scripting language someone should choose
    because  it  is  too  limited in it's capabilities - remember
    that real  programmers  don't  use  pascal...  -  maybe  real
    programmer wouldn't ever use Perl...


Maybe - (please don't) - Jan

>
>    Regards,
>
>         Oleg
>
>
> On Sun, 6 Jun 1999, Kaare Rasmussen wrote:
>
> > Date: Sun, 6 Jun 1999 16:35:14 +0200 (CEST)
> > From: Kaare Rasmussen <kar@webline.dk>
> > To: pgsql-hackers@postgreSQL.org
> > Subject: Re: [HACKERS] Priorities for 6.6
> >
> > > The hooks are already in place, thanks to Jan.
> > > He started by Tcl first and PL only after that.
> > > It should be quite possible to add others with not too much work.
> >
> > Explain a bit more - I'd like to have a Perl interface. It has to be
> > added by some of the clever postgresql hackers? A non-C-speaking
> > individual like me can't do it, right?


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