Thread: Next version: putting the pedal down

Next version: putting the pedal down

From
Josh Berkus
Date:
Folks,

Per hackers, we may have as little as a month before the release.  So I'm
pushing this in accellerated mode.   We need a release we can live with by
the end of next week.  Therefore:

1) I've put up a new version of the release in the usual places on
pgfoundry.org.   I think I've incorporated most feedback, and fixed some
wording issues.  I've also added INOUT functions to the list of features,
which I'd forgotten.  INOUT is a big J2EE checklist item, so I wanted to
get it in the release.

2) I will put up a draft of the extended web page for the release tonight
or early tommorrow.

3) I will have a professional PR person reviewing the release and
commenting on it tommorrow.

So, please get your revisions in!

--
--Josh

Josh Berkus
Aglio Database Solutions
San Francisco

Re: Next version: putting the pedal down

From
Simon Riggs
Date:
On Thu, 2005-09-29 at 17:43 -0700, Josh Berkus wrote:

> 1) I've put up a new version of the release in the usual places on
> pgfoundry.org.   I think I've incorporated most feedback, and fixed some
> wording issues.  I've also added INOUT functions to the list of features,
> which I'd forgotten.  INOUT is a big J2EE checklist item, so I wanted to
> get it in the release.

> So, please get your revisions in!

A few changes.

My main concerns on the previous version were:
- Lance's quote made it seem like his company was the only one behind
PostgreSQL, I've re-edited to improve that, since many is better than
one. That leads to an altered quote (I hasten to add this is just one
possible edit - Lance hasnt said those things, and may never do and I
have no wish to coerce either).
- Merlin's quote about 1 and 2 CPU systems made it sound like that's all
we do and so I've added a short sentence afterwards to give a wider
view.

Best Regards, Simon Riggs

Attachment

Re: Next version: putting the pedal down

From
Robert Treat
Date:
On Fri, 2005-09-30 at 05:58, Simon Riggs wrote:

thought I'd shoot off some thoughts before I figure out if I have commit
rights :-)

> *** pr81    2005-09-30 10:19:35.046121480 +0100
> --- pr81_sr1    2005-09-30 10:50:31.552889552 +0100
> ***************
> *** 1,16 ****
>   ## November 2005, Sydney, Australia:  The PostgreSQL Global Development Group
> ! proudly announces the release of PostgreSQL 8.1, the
> ! most advanced open source database management system.   This new
> ! version, containing several new advanced database features as well
> ! as many performance enhancements, will push PostgreSQL into more
> ! high-demand and large database applications than ever before.
> !
> ! "PostgreSQL enjoys growing user interest, generating
> ! over 1 million downloads of version 8.0 in 7 months.  This
>   compares with about 300,000 over a similar period for the prior
> ! release, demonstrating the project's acceleration in the minds
> ! of database users," said Lance Obermeyer, ____________ of
> ! Pervasive Software. "Given that 8.1 has already had ___________
>   downloads of the beta, I'm expecting that expansion to become
>   even more rapid."
>
> --- 1,21 ----
>   ## November 2005, Sydney, Australia:  The PostgreSQL Global Development Group
> ! proudly announces the release of PostgreSQL 8.1, further extending
> ! PostgreSQL's lead as the most advanced open source database management system.
> ! This new version contains many new advanced database features as well as
> ! significant performance and scalability enhancements aimed at high-demand
> ! and large database applications.
> !
> ! PostgreSQL is designed, built and tested by a large and thriving community,
> ! backed by a growing number of corporate sponsors and support companies.
> ! PostgreSQL enjoys growing user interest, and has generated
> ! over 1 million downloads of version 8.0 in the last 7 months.  This
>   compares with about 300,000 over a similar period for the prior
> ! release.
> !
> ! "The project is clearly accelerating in the minds
> ! of database users," said Lance Obermeyer of Pervasive Software,
> ! the internal champion for his companies' sponsorship of PostgreSQL.
> ! "Given that 8.1 has already had ___________
>   downloads of the beta, I'm expecting that expansion to become
>   even more rapid."
>

I like how you separated the two concepts here, but didn't like how
titled Lance... how about:

"The project is clearly accelerating in the minds
of database users," said Lance Obermeyer, Director of Products at
Pervasive Software, one of the corporate sponsors for PostgreSQL's 8.1
release. "Given that 8.1 has already had ___________
downloads of the beta, I'm expecting that expansion to become
even more rapid."


> ***************
> *** 37,52 ****
>   number of processors, leading to significant performance gains
>   on 8-way, 16-way, dual-core and multi-core CPU servers.
>
> ! Bitmap Scan:  some indexes will be automatically converted to
>   bitmaps in memory, giving up to 20x faster index performance on
> ! complex queries against against very large tables, such as those
> ! found in data marts. Bitmap Scan also greatly reduces the need
> ! for multi-column indexes.
> !
> ! Table Partitioning: in version 8.1, the query planner's ability
> ! to select the correct table partitions for each query (called
> ! Constraint Exclusion) is expanded, making PostgreSQL's table
> ! partitioning useful to a broader range of applications.
>
>   Shared Row Locking: PostgreSQL's "better than row-level
>   locking" has been improved further through the addition of
> --- 42,56 ----
>   number of processors, leading to significant performance gains
>   on 8-way, 16-way, dual-core and multi-core CPU servers.
>
> ! Bitmap Scan:  indexes can be dynamically converted to
>   bitmaps in memory, giving up to 20x faster index performance on
> ! complex queries against against very large tables. Bitmap Scan
> ! also greatly reduces the need for multi-column indexes.
> !

> ! Bitmap Scan:  indexes can be dynamically converted to
>   bitmaps in memory, giving up to 20x faster index performance on
> ! complex queries against against very large tables. Bitmap Scan
> ! also greatly reduces the need for multi-column indexes.

I think we need to be a little more explicit about why this is a good
thing.

Bitmap Scan:  indexes can be dynamically converted to
bitmaps in memory, giving up to 20x faster index performance on
complex queries against against very large tables. This helps simplify
database management by greatly reducing the need for multi-column
indexes.


> ! Table Partitioning: in version 8.1, the query planner is now
> ! able to avoid scanning whole sections of a large table without
> ! needing to utilise indexes using a technique known as
> ! Constraint Exclusion.
>

This seems a bit too technical to me. Either we need to be clearer in
how it works or we need to provide an example of who will benefit from
this.


Robert Treat
--
Build A Brighter Lamp :: Linux Apache {middleware} PostgreSQL


Re: Next version: putting the pedal down

From
Josh Berkus
Date:
Simon,

> A few changes.

I can't get this patch to apply.  What version did you run it against?
What diff options did you use?

--
--Josh

Josh Berkus
Aglio Database Solutions
San Francisco

Re: Next version: putting the pedal down

From
Simon Riggs
Date:
On Fri, 2005-09-30 at 09:42 -0400, Robert Treat wrote:

> I like how you separated the two concepts here, but didn't like how
> titled Lance... how about:

Well, I think Josh or Lance should step in here. You're right, I only
meant to separate the two concepts.

> > ! Bitmap Scan:  indexes can be dynamically converted to
> >   bitmaps in memory, giving up to 20x faster index performance on
> > ! complex queries against against very large tables. Bitmap Scan
> > ! also greatly reduces the need for multi-column indexes.
>
> I think we need to be a little more explicit about why this is a good
> thing.

> Bitmap Scan:  indexes can be dynamically converted to
> bitmaps in memory, giving up to 20x faster index performance on
> complex queries against against very large tables. This helps simplify
> database management by greatly reducing the need for multi-column
> indexes.

...This can also simplify database management by greatly reducing
the number of multi-column indexes required for an application.

> > ! Table Partitioning: in version 8.1, the query planner is now
> > ! able to avoid scanning whole sections of a large table without
> > ! needing to utilise indexes using a technique known as
> > ! Constraint Exclusion.
> >

I'll think of a short para.

Best Regards, Simon Riggs