Thread: heterogeneous programs names

heterogeneous programs names

From
Jérôme Bouat
Date:
Your name        :    Jérôme Bouat
Your email address    :    jerome.bouat@wanadoo.fr


System Configuration
--------------------- Architecture (example: Intel Pentium)      :    AMD Duron Mobile
 Operating System (example: Linux 2.4.18)     :    Linux 2.6.3
 PostgreSQL version (example: PostgreSQL-7.4.1):    PostgreSQL-7.4.1
 Compiler used (example:  gcc 2.95.2)        :    3.3.2


Please enter a FULL description of your problem:
------------------------------------------------
I know some database design methods (Merise, ...) but I'm a newbie with
using database (I already used Microsoft Access and MySQL). I read some
comparaison between MySQL and PostgreSQL. Although PostgreSQL seems to
be more powerfull than MySQL, it is a little more complicated to use.

When I want to create a database, I have to browse all the
documentation. I think it is not intuitive enough.

Programs which interact with the database server have very different
names.

For example :
- "initdb" creates a new cluster
- "createdb" creates a database
- "pg_ctl" controls a database

Why "initdb" and "createdb" should be related with PostgreSQL ?
Don't you think other database managers could share the host on which
PostgreSQL is installed ?


If you know how this problem might be fixed, list the solution below:
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Could you not use an homogeneous names pattern ?

All those programs names:
- initdb
- initlocation
- ipcclean
- clusterdb
- createdb
- createlang
- createuser
- dropdb
- droplang
- dropuser
- vacuumdb
- psql

could follow a pattern you already choosed:
pg_*

Then, the user could choose the actions he wants by autocompleting the
'pg_' begin in a shell.

More generally, could you not provide an unique tool from which you
could be guided in order to perform the action you want ?