Thread: PostgreSQL: The Gameplan for world domination

Hi everyone,

Have been thinking about what we need to do and make happen to achieve
our goal of database world domination:

PostgreSQL Articles in the media
********************************

The more articles in the media we have, the more exposure to potential
end users and business people that generates.  It's a basic principle
that media attention -> greater numbers of users.

Now that nearly 10 people have volunteered to write articles on
PostgreSQL for this task, we should be able to achieve an minimum of 2
PostgreSQL centric articles per month.


PostgreSQL Releases
*******************

We need our releases to be consistent throughout the project.  Press
Releases co-ordinated with the packages being released, websites
updated, and translations all completed.  At time of release.


PostgreSQL Advocacy and Marketing Website
*****************************************

Both the public-visible site and the backend "members only" area need
significant work on them to make them manageable/translatable as a
vehicle to communicate to potential users the benefits of PostgreSQL


PostgreSQL Technical Documentation website
******************************************

This important Community Resource has stagnated in the last several
months.  We need to get it growing again, with buy-in, input and
involvement from the PostgreSQL Community members.  The Plone system may
be adequate for this.  We're going to have to look at the permissions of
the folders and members involved such that our members can create/update
documents for the general public properly, with a minimum of hassle.


PostgreSQL Recognised/Certified Companies
*****************************************

We should have a duplicatable system, transparent to end users that
allows us to recognise/certify the companies and individuals that are
"known" to be good with PostgreSQL.  This is key for them to be able to
demonstrate PostgreSQL knowledge.


PostgreSQL Case Studies
***********************

There are several hundred emails I'm working through, generated from the
initial call for Case Study Participants.  These include places very
keen and willing to go "on the record" as using PostgreSQL, giving
solid business reasons and implementation examples for doing so.

The list includes places list NASA, NOAA, Zapatec, Afilias, and quite a
few others.

These PostgreSQL Case Studies need to be finalised, translated, and then
added to the Advocacy and Marketing site for the general public.


PostgreSQL Training and Education System
****************************************

For a while now we've been at the stage of several separate companies
working on separate PostgreSQL training, with no real centralised
"recognisable" way of us communicating to end users which options are
good, bad, etc.

If we develop a core training/competency standard that these training
options can be developed and measured against, we as the PostgreSQL
Global Development Group are then able to recommend and/or certify the
training packages as being "approved".  This lets us ensure a minimum
quality of training to end users, and also allows individual companies
to generate profit from training end users.


How to make this happen
***********************

We need more go-getters who want to get very involved.  People who have
the ability, desire and passion to be involved in these tasks, taking
one or more up as "their thing" to be responsible for.  Bringing it/them
to fruition, and organising the people and resources as needed through
to completion and beyond.

Looking for volunteers here and suggestions for improvement.  These are
significant tasks of benefit to the PostgreSQL Community and wider Open
Source Community - plus end users in general - and will truly give back
what is put into it.  But not all of these tasks may be easy.

Patience, passion, determination, and the desire to make the world a
better place are pretty much mandatory.

So who's up for turning an aspect of this PostgreSQL Gameplan into reality?

Regards and best wishes,

Justin Clift

> PostgreSQL Training and Education System
> ****************************************
>
> For a while now we've been at the stage of several separate companies
> working on separate PostgreSQL training, with no real centralised
> "recognisable" way of us communicating to end users which options are
> good, bad, etc.

I was wondering what if there is a online test somewhere in
postgresql.org? Something along the lines of
http://www.mysql.com/certification/selftest/core/index.php

One could choose a level like 1) Novice 2) Advanced 3) Postgre master
... and then just start answering questions. The thing that makes this
idea cool imo is that all the questions would be generated by the
community. There would be a "submit a test question" link somewhere.
Once I click on it I get a form to fill - a question and a set of
answers. The data is sent to the administrator who simply checks for
correctness and puts the question under apropriate difficulty level.

Not sure if it's worth it though I just had an idea...

On Fri, Jun 20, 2003 at 12:40:07 +0300,
  Kaarel <kaarel@future.ee> wrote:
>
> I was wondering what if there is a online test somewhere in
> postgresql.org? Something along the lines of
> http://www.mysql.com/certification/selftest/core/index.php
>
> One could choose a level like 1) Novice 2) Advanced 3) Postgre master
> ... and then just start answering questions. The thing that makes this
> idea cool imo is that all the questions would be generated by the
> community. There would be a "submit a test question" link somewhere.
> Once I click on it I get a form to fill - a question and a set of
> answers. The data is sent to the administrator who simply checks for
> correctness and puts the question under apropriate difficulty level.

I thought that's what the mailing lists are.

On Friday 20 Jun 2003 10:40 am, Kaarel wrote:
> > PostgreSQL Training and Education System
> > ****************************************
> >
> > For a while now we've been at the stage of several separate companies
> > working on separate PostgreSQL training, with no real centralised
> > "recognisable" way of us communicating to end users which options are
> > good, bad, etc.

Have none of these companies approached any of the core developers? I suppose
the issue would be to define suitable levels of experience:

Basic: installation & setup, backup/restore, security
Experienced: performance tuning, dblink/textsearch
Advanced: adding custom features, replication, migration

Hmm - not sure if some of that is more developer than dbadmin.

> I was wondering what if there is a online test somewhere in
> postgresql.org? Something along the lines of
> http://www.mysql.com/certification/selftest/core/index.php
[snip description]
> Not sure if it's worth it though I just had an idea...

One interesting point - I discovered some time back that a college in the USA
had used part of my PG Notes in their course (all properly attributed etc). I
think the reason was there was a sample schema with a perl script to generate
sample data.

A set of exercises/tutorials structured similar to a university DB course
might get widespread exposure (lecturers being as busy as the rest of us).

--
  Richard Huxton

Guys,

> > I was wondering what if there is a online test somewhere in
> > postgresql.org? Something along the lines of
> > http://www.mysql.com/certification/selftest/core/index.php
>
> [snip description]
>
> > Not sure if it's worth it though I just had an idea...
>
> One interesting point - I discovered some time back that a college in the
> USA had used part of my PG Notes in their course (all properly attributed
> etc). I think the reason was there was a sample schema with a perl script
> to generate sample data.
>
> A set of exercises/tutorials structured similar to a university DB course
> might get widespread exposure (lecturers being as busy as the rest of us).

Postgresql Inc. is working on a certification exam for PostgreSQL admins.  I
helped test it.   I think what's holding them up from releasing it (and I
think it will involve a fee) is being behind on developing training
materials.

--
Josh Berkus
Aglio Database Solutions
San Francisco