Thread: 8.0 Press Release: the PRODUCTIVE thread.
Folks, (Reposting this because the Advocacy list seems to have eaten all of my e-mail from this morning) I'd like to start a new thread for those who are actually interested in helping get a press release done instead of arguing about minutia. I'm copying what I posted earlier since many people will have stopped reading the original thread. Maybe we could discuss more pertinent stuff, like the general theme of the release? Every press release, if you want it to be read and quoted, needs to tell a story. Last release, it was that PostgreSQL was now equivalent to the Big Boys and it was time for migration. I think we did a good job getting that message across. This release, I think our theme should be corporate involvement. Aside from the specific features (which speak for themselves) what's news over the last year is the amount of interest and sponsorship we've received from various commercial entities, including feature sponsors SRA, FJ and Afilias and code contributor Command Prompt, as well as our existing sponsors like RH and PGInc and probably others I'm forgetting. The reason to use this theme -- aside from attracting reporters -- is that "partnerships" is currently widely perceived to be a weakness of our project. MySQL, in contrast, has done a job of broadcasting whenever they so much as have lunch with an exec from a major corporation -- as do many other commercialized OSS projects and start-ups. This has resulted in an impression (based on my conversations at LWE and elsewhere) that PostgreSQL does not have "business momentum". I think we can turn that around. I find this idea more appealing that our other thematic options for the release: 1) PostgreSQL on Windows: while a major step forward, I think this will sell itself; 2) Faster Development than anyone else: also true, but harder to convince reporters. > I think Slony deserves its own Press Release ... its big enough of an > add-on that including it as part of the 8.0.0 release will shift focus > from what 8.0.0 has accomplished ... Not an option. Afilias, the sponsor, does not want to do a Slony release yet, and it's their call. -- Josh Berkus Aglio Database Solutions San Francisco -- -Josh Berkus "A developer of Very Little Brain" Aglio Database Solutions San Francisco
I like the partnerships theme. But I think it is also important to convey the message that while PostgreSQL is a heavy lifting database, it's also great for the 'little guy' running a small low volume web site. There is a perception that using pgsql for a web site is like swatting flies with a telephone pole, or "driving thumb tacks with a sledge hammer" (as the PHP book I'm currently reading actually states in black and white) and that web sites don't need pgsql's 'esoteric' features. As a new user of pgsql, I know now, that pgsql's additional features are quite useful even for small projects. MySQL does a great job of recruiting mindshare through out the entire spectrum of users and PostgreSQL should too. Not that I think that this should be the major theme, but a mention of "great for small jobs, too", additional convenience features, scaleable from the smallest to largest projects, etc. would help get the small fish like me interested, and that represents a lot of people (read: mindshare). Just my thoughts. -Steve
Josh Berkus wrote: >Folks, > >(Reposting this because the Advocacy list seems to have eaten all of my e-mail >from this morning) > >I'd like to start a new thread for those who are actually interested in >helping get a press release done instead of arguing about minutia. > >I'm copying what I posted earlier since many people will have stopped reading >the original thread. > >Maybe we could discuss >more pertinent stuff, like the general theme of the release? > > > Here is my perspective. This would make a lousy press release but maybe it will provide someone some inspiration. I have been using PostgreSQL since the 6.5 days. It seems to me that PostgreSQL has always been the most reliable and powerful open source database manager, but was very difficult to use in the 6.5 days. It seems to me that the PostgreSQL has generally been removing those aspects of it which have caused me headaches in the past. These have included such things as allowing columns to be renamed or dropped, etc. 8.0 seems to be different. While it does remove a few things that make admin's lives easier, this seems to be a release pushing a wide variety of new features aiming at new markets. This includes among other things, a Windows port, Point in Time Recovery, etc. If I could choose a theme, it would be reaching out to new markets. Best Wishes, Chris Travers Metatron Technology Consulting >Every press release, if you want it to be read and quoted, needs to tell a >story. Last release, it was that PostgreSQL was now equivalent to the Big >Boys and it was time for migration. I think we did a good job getting that >message across. > >This release, I think our theme should be corporate involvement. Aside from >the specific features (which speak for themselves) what's news over the last >year is the amount of interest and sponsorship we've received from various >commercial entities, including feature sponsors SRA, FJ and Afilias and code >contributor Command Prompt, as well as our existing sponsors like RH and >PGInc and probably others I'm forgetting. > >The reason to use this theme -- aside from attracting reporters -- is that >"partnerships" is currently widely perceived to be a weakness of our project. >MySQL, in contrast, has done a job of broadcasting whenever they so much as >have lunch with an exec from a major corporation -- as do many other >commercialized OSS projects and start-ups. This has resulted in an >impression (based on my conversations at LWE and elsewhere) that PostgreSQL >does not have "business momentum". I think we can turn that around. > >I find this idea more appealing that our other thematic options for the >release: >1) PostgreSQL on Windows: while a major step forward, I think this will sell >itself; >2) Faster Development than anyone else: also true, but harder to convince >reporters. > > > >>I think Slony deserves its own Press Release ... its big enough of an >>add-on that including it as part of the 8.0.0 release will shift focus >>from what 8.0.0 has accomplished ... >> >> > >Not an option. Afilias, the sponsor, does not want to do a Slony release yet, >and it's their call. > > >
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So, budding writers:
I'd like to see some sample text here. But please remember that the *entire*
press release will be less than 1000 words, so no paragraph-long descriptions
of a single feature! (for example, Rod's description of replication options
was nice but would have to be condensed to about 14 words, if we include it
at all) More detailed descriptions will go on our "news" page.
As a compromise between Peter's perspective and mine/Andrew's, I think that we
should focus on the features but name-drop. So we need to work in company
names at appropriate points, namely Fujitsu, Afilias, Red Hat, Open Source
Development Labs, Command Prompt, 2nd Quadrant, and SRA-America (am I
forgetting someone?). The names should get across the multi-company
involvement without dwelling on it.
Please take a stab at:
P1: announce landmark 8.0 version, 200 developers, etc. 4-5 lines, starting
with a sentence that covers who-what-when.
P2: major features, windows port, contributions by several new companies,
work with OSDL. 4-5 lines, again.
List: Major features:
Windows Port
Savepoints
PITR
Tablespaces
Memory/I/O overhaul
Planner improvements
-- each of the above should include 10 to 20 words about what the feature is
and why people should be excited about it.
P4: discuss major add-ins: Slony-I, PL/perlNG, PL/Java, etc.
"more features for dedicated PG users, see full release".
-- this paragraph will just *mention* the new add-ins for the last year; there
is no need (or space) to go into detail. My purpose for this paragraph is
that for a lot of news sources, this is the only coverage of PG they will
have all year, making it important to mention prominent add-ins let the
public think we are missing features.
--
--Josh
Josh Berkus
Aglio Database Solutions
San Francisco
On Wed, 18 Aug 2004, Josh Berkus wrote: > So, budding writers: > > I'd like to see some sample text here. But please remember that the *entire* > press release will be less than 1000 words, so no paragraph-long descriptions > of a single feature! (for example, Rod's description of replication options > was nice but would have to be condensed to about 14 words, if we include it > at all) More detailed descriptions will go on our "news" page. > > As a compromise between Peter's perspective and mine/Andrew's, I think that we > should focus on the features but name-drop. So we need to work in company > names at appropriate points, namely Fujitsu, Afilias, Red Hat, Open Source > Development Labs, Command Prompt, 2nd Quadrant, and SRA-America (am I > forgetting someone?). The names should get across the multi-company > involvement without dwelling on it. > > Please take a stab at: > > P1: announce landmark 8.0 version, 200 developers, etc. 4-5 lines, starting > with a sentence that covers who-what-when. > > P2: major features, windows port, contributions by several new companies, > work with OSDL. 4-5 lines, again. > > List: Major features: > Windows Port > Savepoints > PITR > Tablespaces > Memory/I/O overhaul > Planner improvements > -- each of the above should include 10 to 20 words about what the feature is > and why people should be excited about it. I think this one could also include references to the company (or companies) that helped make the new features happen ... I note you do mention the various companies in P2 above, but figured you were seperating the P2 stuff from List stuff? ---- Marc G. Fournier Hub.Org Networking Services (http://www.hub.org) Email: scrappy@hub.org Yahoo!: yscrappy ICQ: 7615664
Marc, > I think this one could also include references to the company (or > companies) that helped make the new features happen ... I note you do > mention the various companies in P2 above, but figured you were seperating > the P2 stuff from List stuff? Not necessarily, either approach would be fine. In fact, I'd love so see alternate ideas for what to put in P2. What P2 needs to say is "why this new release is exiting" non-specific to the features involved (since some members of the press won't understand the features anyway). Possible ideas include: 1) growing size of our community (inc. new companies) 2) just a handful of high-end features left and then equal to DB2, Oracle, etc. (this is probably too similar to last time). 3) increased pace of development, faster than any comparable product/project. -- --Josh Josh Berkus Aglio Database Solutions San Francisco
Josh Berkus wrote: > 1) growing size of our community (inc. new companies) > 2) just a handful of high-end features left and then equal to DB2, Oracle, > etc. (this is probably too similar to last time). > 3) increased pace of development, faster than any comparable product/project. I think #2 is the most distinct for this release, but has the downside of comparing ourselfs to others rather than focusing on our own accomplishments. It would be nice if 1 and 2 could be merged. -- Bruce Momjian | http://candle.pha.pa.us pgman@candle.pha.pa.us | (610) 359-1001 + If your life is a hard drive, | 13 Roberts Road + Christ can be your backup. | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073
On Wed, 18 Aug 2004, Josh Berkus wrote: > Marc, > >> I think this one could also include references to the company (or >> companies) that helped make the new features happen ... I note you do >> mention the various companies in P2 above, but figured you were seperating >> the P2 stuff from List stuff? > > Not necessarily, either approach would be fine. In fact, I'd love so see > alternate ideas for what to put in P2. What P2 needs to say is "why this > new release is exiting" non-specific to the features involved (since some > members of the press won't understand the features anyway). Possible ideas > include: > > 1) growing size of our community (inc. new companies) Not sure if you can substantiate this so that it isn't 'just marketspeak', can you? What might be a better 'focus' is the companies coming out of the closet, that have been using it for while, but are starting to be willing/able to acknowledge it more openly ... > 2) just a handful of high-end features left and then equal to DB2, > Oracle, etc. (this is probably too similar to last time). is DB2 == Oracle? I do agree with focusing on the higher # of enterprise level features, but to equate us with any db (commercial or otherwise) could be dangerous, no? > 3) increased pace of development, faster than any comparable > product/project. Similar to 1, but probably a bit easier, since I can't think of any DB project that isn't talking 1+ year release cycles right now ... ---- Marc G. Fournier Hub.Org Networking Services (http://www.hub.org) Email: scrappy@hub.org Yahoo!: yscrappy ICQ: 7615664
On Wednesday 18 August 2004 15:31, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> Josh Berkus wrote:
> > 1) growing size of our community (inc. new companies)
> > 2) just a handful of high-end features left and then equal to DB2,
> > Oracle, etc. (this is probably too similar to last time).
> > 3) increased pace of development, faster than any comparable
> > product/project.
>
> I think #2 is the most distinct for this release, but has the downside
> of comparing ourselfs to others rather than focusing on our own
> accomplishments. It would be nice if 1 and 2 could be merged.
In previous releases of PostgreSQL, we have normally been able to add 1 or 2
signifigant features per development cycle. In this release cycle however, we
have seen tremendous growth in our community in both individual developers
and corporate development sponsors, and have been able to add 4 "blockbuster"
features (win32, pitr, savepoint, tablespaces) while still provding several
performance enhancements for large scale deployments (arc, bgwriter),
enhancing the application development experience (alter column type), and
adding to the growing list of complimentary tools and applications
(slony,pgpool,pljava) that make postgresql a great replacement for other high
end proprietary systems.
--
Robert Treat
Build A Better Lamp :: Linux Apache {middleware} PostgreSQL
> Marc G. Fournier > On Wed, 18 Aug 2004, Josh Berkus wrote: > > 2) just a handful of high-end features left and then equal to DB2, > > Oracle, etc. (this is probably too similar to last time). > > is DB2 == Oracle? I do agree with focusing on the higher # of > enterprise level features, but to equate us with any db (commercial or > otherwise) could be dangerous, no? Mark's caution seems wise from here: I understand where you're coming from and agree... but others less well informed might well feel misled by a direct comparison. Perhaps it might be better to mention the types of solution that are now becoming possible for PostgreSQL....(here's an example of this thought...don't focus on the exact words). "expanding from its secure base as the database of choice for complex web applications, PostgreSQL has added features that now make it suitable for a wider variety of roles within Enterprises, such as intranet, transaction processing, data warehousing and regulatory audit databases as well as Departmental solutions. We expect strong uptake both from direct users and from ISVs releasing solutions that embed PostgreSQL within them." IMHO PostgreSQL hasn't caught up with commercial solutions in relative terms, but in absolute terms it clearly has the vast majority of features required to make it suitable for a wide range of both day-to-day and challenging database problems. Many will choose to wait, though many people approaching licence renegotiation time will be looking to take advantage of lower cost solutions for the majority of their newer or replacement applications. Best Regards, Simon Riggs
Simon, > We expect strong uptake both from direct users and > from ISVs releasing solutions that embed PostgreSQL within them." Hmmmm ... I really like that sentence, other than the word "uptake". -- --Josh Josh Berkus Aglio Database Solutions San Francisco
On Wed, 18 Aug 2004, Josh Berkus wrote: > Simon, > >> We expect strong uptake both from direct users and >> from ISVs releasing solutions that embed PostgreSQL within them." > > Hmmmm ... I really like that sentence, other than the word "uptake". adoption? ---- Marc G. Fournier Hub.Org Networking Services (http://www.hub.org) Email: scrappy@hub.org Yahoo!: yscrappy ICQ: 7615664
On Wed, 18 Aug 2004, Marc G. Fournier wrote: > On Wed, 18 Aug 2004, Josh Berkus wrote: > >> Simon, >> >>> We expect strong uptake both from direct users and >>> from ISVs releasing solutions that embed PostgreSQL within them." >> >> Hmmmm ... I really like that sentence, other than the word "uptake". > > adoption? Or, "We expect a higher level of adoption out of this release, both from direct users and from ISVs releasing solutions that embed PostgreSQL within them, due to the number of enterprise level features added to this release"? ---- Marc G. Fournier Hub.Org Networking Services (http://www.hub.org) Email: scrappy@hub.org Yahoo!: yscrappy ICQ: 7615664
> Josh Berkus > > > Simon Riggs wrote > > We expect strong uptake both from direct users and > > from ISVs releasing solutions that embed PostgreSQL within them." > > Hmmmm ... I really like that sentence, other than the word "uptake". > Feel free to change my "BBC News" idiom into something clearer. :) Best Regards, Simon Riggs
> Marc G. Fournier > On Wed, 18 Aug 2004, Josh Berkus wrote: > > > Simon, > > > >> We expect strong uptake both from direct users and > >> from ISVs releasing solutions that embed PostgreSQL within them." > > > > Hmmmm ... I really like that sentence, other than the word "uptake". > > adoption? > Yes...though change sentence around it slightly? ...We expect a strong surge in adoption rates... Best Regards, Simon Riggs
Josh Berkus wrote: > Simon, > > >>We expect strong uptake both from direct users and >>from ISVs releasing solutions that embed PostgreSQL within them." > We expect a higher volume of direct users and ISV's releasing PostgreSQL based solutions. Sincerely, Joshua D. Drake > > Hmmmm ... I really like that sentence, other than the word "uptake". > -- Command Prompt, Inc., home of Mammoth PostgreSQL - S/ODBC and S/JDBC Postgresql support, programming shared hosting and dedicated hosting. +1-503-667-4564 - jd@commandprompt.com - http://www.commandprompt.com Mammoth PostgreSQL Replicator. Integrated Replication for PostgreSQL
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I only just noticed this: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/applications/0,39020384,39149277,00.htm ...PostgreSQL gets a mention even on MySQL Replication news releases Best Regards, Simon Riggs
"PostgreSQL 8.0 will run on Windows" ZDnet UK http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/linuxunix/0,39020390,39164219,00.htm ...please respect that this is the output of a 40 minute interview where I tried to emphasise my/the "PostgreSQL is ready for Enterprise computing" viewpoint and that all opinions were my own, not those of the PostgreSQL project as a whole. I remain in contact with the ZDnet reporter, so if you have opinions, express them now and I will try to make those next time we speak. Best Regards, Simon Riggs
On 23 Aug 2004 at 21:11, Simon Riggs wrote: > > "PostgreSQL 8.0 will run on Windows" > ZDnet UK > > http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/linuxunix/0,39020390,39164219,00.htm Very nice. It gets the word out. Thanks. -- Dan Langille : http://www.langille.org/