Thread: Abbreviation list
Is there a comprehensive (or semi-comprehensive) on-line list of commonly used PG-related abbreviations used in PostgreSQL documentation, mail-lists, etc.? If there is not, would such a list make a reasonable one-page addition to the PG manual? Things like GUC and DDL for example. Couldn't find them in the user documentation index. I looked at what Google offered up with "GUC site:www.postgresql.org" and got 64 results. Virtually all were links to the weekly news but I found no result that said what GUC means. Cheers, Steve
Steve Crawford wrote: > Is there a comprehensive (or semi-comprehensive) on-line list of > commonly used PG-related abbreviations used in PostgreSQL documentation, > mail-lists, etc.? If there is not, would such a list make a reasonable > one-page addition to the PG manual? I don't think we have one, but IMHO it would be an excellent idea. We do have some abbreviations, e.g. HOT, TOAST, WAL are the ones that jump immediately to mind (besides the ones you mentioned). -- Alvaro Herrera http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/5ZYLFMCVHXC "Granting software the freedom to evolve guarantees only different results, not better ones." (Zygo Blaxell)
Alvaro Herrera wrote: > Steve Crawford wrote: >> Is there a comprehensive (or semi-comprehensive) on-line list of >> commonly used PG-related abbreviations used in PostgreSQL documentation, >> mail-lists, etc.? If there is not, would such a list make a reasonable >> one-page addition to the PG manual? > > I don't think we have one, but IMHO it would be an excellent idea. We > do have some abbreviations, e.g. HOT, TOAST, WAL are the ones that > jump immediately to mind (besides the ones you mentioned). > My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations". Don't know if it's practical for 8.3 documentation but it would be nice to add even if it only has a few entries as additional ones could be collected via the user notes. I suggest as a discussion starting-point the following inclusion criteria: 1. Any abbreviation/acronym that appears in the PostgreSQL documentation (even if those terms may not be PG specific - we shouldn't assume that everyone knows them). Good documentation practice recommends defining abbreviations the first time they are used. Better still, ensure that they are in the abbreviation list. 2. PostgreSQL-specific abbreviations/acronyms commonly used in on-line conversations, news-releases, notes, etc. even if not (or not yet) in the official documentation. 3. Abbreviations/acronyms that do not meet criteria 1 or 2 but which are likely to clarify PG related conversations (optional, lower priority and within the limitations of avoiding appendix bloat). So BSD, STONITH, DBA, DBMS, RDBMS, GEQO would meet both criteria 1 and criteria 2. GUC and DDL (currently) only meet the second criteria. A starter list mostly gleaned from PG documentation (typing defs quickly and from memory - feel free to make corrections): BKI - Backend Interface CID - Command Identifier CLI - Call Level Interface / Command Line Interface CVE - Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures CVS - Concurrent Version System DBA - Database Administrator DBMS - Database Management System DDL - Data Definition Language DML - Data Manipulation Language DSN - Data Source Name ECPG - Embedded SQL in C ?? GEQO - Genetic Query Optimizer GIN - Generalized Inverted Index GIST - Generalized Search Tree GNU - Gnu's Not Unix GSSAPI - Generic Security Services Application Programming Interface GUC - Global User Configuration HOT - Heap Oriented Tuples IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission ISO - International Standards Organization JDBC - Java Database Connectivity JRT - Java Routines and Types LDAP - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol MED - Management of External Data MVCC - Multi Version Concurrency Control NLS - Natural Language Support ODBC - Open Database Connectivity OID - Object Identifier OLAP - Online Analytical Processing OLB - Object Language Bindings PAM - Pluggable Authentication Modules PITR - Point In Time Recovery POSIX - Portable Operating System Interface PSM - Persistent Stored Modules RPM - Redhat Package Manager SSPI - Security Support Provider Interface SQL - Structured Query Language SSL - Secure Sockets Layer STONITH - Shoot The Other Node In The Head TOAST - The Oversize Attribute Storage Technique UUID - Universally Unique Identifier WAL - Write Ahead Log XID - Transaction Identifier XML - Extensible Markup Language Cheers, Steve
Steve Crawford <scrawford@pinpointresearch.com> writes:
> My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations".
It seems more like FAQ material than something for the manual.
regards, tom lane
Tom Lane wrote: > Steve Crawford <scrawford@pinpointresearch.com> writes: > > My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations". > > It seems more like FAQ material than something for the manual. I prefer the manual. I would think the list would be pretty long and deal with lots of internals terms. -- Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us> http://momjian.us EnterpriseDB http://postgres.enterprisedb.com + If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +
> I prefer the manual. I would think the list would be pretty long and > deal with lots of internals terms. Also the manual has more "reference" character; as we saw with GUC in this discussion it is still possible to find a CORRECT definition of them. Harald -- GHUM Harald Massa persuadere et programmare Harald Armin Massa Spielberger Straße 49 70435 Stuttgart 0173/9409607 fx 01212-5-13695179 - EuroPython 2008 will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania - Stay tuned!
Steve Crawford wrote: > My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations". Don't know if it's > practical for 8.3 documentation but it would be nice to add even if it > only has a few entries as additional ones could be collected via the > user notes. > > I suggest as a discussion starting-point the following inclusion criteria: > > 1. Any abbreviation/acronym that appears in the PostgreSQL documentation > (even if those terms may not be PG specific - we shouldn't assume that > everyone knows them). Good documentation practice recommends defining > abbreviations the first time they are used. Better still, ensure that > they are in the abbreviation list. Isn't this just what the ABBR tag in html is for? -- Alban Hertroys a.hertroys@magproductions.nl magproductions b.v. T: ++31(0)534346874 F: ++31(0)534346876 M: I: www.magproductions.nl A: Postbus 416 7500 AK Enschede // Integrate Your World //
Alban Hertroys schrieb: > Steve Crawford wrote: >> My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations". Don't know if it's >> practical for 8.3 documentation but it would be nice to add even if it >> only has a few entries as additional ones could be collected via the >> user notes. >> >> I suggest as a discussion starting-point the following inclusion criteria: >> >> 1. Any abbreviation/acronym that appears in the PostgreSQL documentation >> (even if those terms may not be PG specific - we shouldn't assume that >> everyone knows them). Good documentation practice recommends defining >> abbreviations the first time they are used. Better still, ensure that >> they are in the abbreviation list. > > Isn't this just what the ABBR tag in html is for? Well, yes; according w3.org its purpose is to describe the abbreviation/acronym inline in a document using a title attribute: <acronym title="Grand Unified Configuration">GUC</acronym> Firefox by default underlines the abbreviation with a dotted line and displays the title when leaving the cursor on it. In a way this means probably defining the abbreviation. Reference: http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/text.html#edef-ABBR -- Thomas Pundt <thomas.pundt@rp-online.de> ---- http://rp-online.de/ ----
Thomas Pundt wrote: > Alban Hertroys schrieb: >> Isn't this just what the ABBR tag in html is for? > > Well, yes; according w3.org its purpose is to describe the > abbreviation/acronym inline in a document using a title attribute: Can you do that from a SGML DocBook source? -- Alvaro Herrera http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/DXLWNGRJD34J "The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do." (Samuel P. Huntington)
On Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:59:20 -0300 Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@commandprompt.com> wrote: > Thomas Pundt wrote: > > Alban Hertroys schrieb: > > >> Isn't this just what the ABBR tag in html is for? > > > > Well, yes; according w3.org its purpose is to describe the > > abbreviation/acronym inline in a document using a title attribute: > > Can you do that from a SGML DocBook source? > http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/documentation/reference/html/acronym.html -- === The PostgreSQL Company: Command Prompt, Inc. === Sales/Support: +1.503.667.4564 24x7/Emergency: +1.800.492.2240 PostgreSQL solutions since 1997 http://www.commandprompt.com/ UNIQUE NOT NULL Donate to the PostgreSQL Project: http://www.postgresql.org/about/donate PostgreSQL Replication: http://www.commandprompt.com/products/
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Joshua D. Drake wrote: > On Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:59:20 -0300 > Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@commandprompt.com> wrote: > > > Thomas Pundt wrote: > > > Alban Hertroys schrieb: > > > > >> Isn't this just what the ABBR tag in html is for? > > > > > > Well, yes; according w3.org its purpose is to describe the > > > abbreviation/acronym inline in a document using a title attribute: > > > > Can you do that from a SGML DocBook source? > > > http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/documentation/reference/html/acronym.html That seems pretty useless. -- Alvaro Herrera http://www.CommandPrompt.com/ The PostgreSQL Company - Command Prompt, Inc.
On Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:28:30 -0300 Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@commandprompt.com> wrote: > Joshua D. Drake wrote: > > On Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:59:20 -0300 > > Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@commandprompt.com> wrote: > > > > > Thomas Pundt wrote: > > > > Alban Hertroys schrieb: > > > > > > >> Isn't this just what the ABBR tag in html is for? > > > > > > > > Well, yes; according w3.org its purpose is to describe the > > > > abbreviation/acronym inline in a document using a title > > > > attribute: > > > > > > Can you do that from a SGML DocBook source? > > > > > http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/documentation/reference/html/acronym.html > > That seems pretty useless. > *shrug* Joshua D. Drake -- === The PostgreSQL Company: Command Prompt, Inc. === Sales/Support: +1.503.667.4564 24x7/Emergency: +1.800.492.2240 PostgreSQL solutions since 1997 http://www.commandprompt.com/ UNIQUE NOT NULL Donate to the PostgreSQL Project: http://www.postgresql.org/about/donate PostgreSQL Replication: http://www.commandprompt.com/products/
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On Thu, Oct 18, 2007 at 04:46:00PM -0700, Steve Crawford wrote: > ECPG - Embedded SQL in C ?? Correct. And the PG part should be obvious. :-) Michael -- Michael Meskes Email: Michael at Fam-Meskes dot De ICQ: 179140304, AIM/Yahoo: michaelmeskes, Jabber: meskes@jabber.org Go SF 49ers! Go Rhein Fire! Use Debian GNU/Linux! Use PostgreSQL!
On Fri, 19 Oct 2007 20:04:27 +0200
Michael Meskes <meskes@postgresql.org> wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 18, 2007 at 04:46:00PM -0700, Steve Crawford wrote:
> > ECPG - Embedded SQL in C ??
>
> Correct. And the PG part should be obvious. :-)
Pretty Good?
>
> Michael
--
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Bruce Momjian wrote: > Tom Lane wrote: >> Steve Crawford <scrawford@pinpointresearch.com> writes: >>> My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations". >> It seems more like FAQ material than something for the manual. > > I prefer the manual. I would think the list would be pretty long and > deal with lots of internals terms. > My vote too. Just noticed I missed (probably one of many): BLOB - Binary Large Object Cheers, Steve
Steve Crawford wrote: > Bruce Momjian wrote: > > Tom Lane wrote: > >> Steve Crawford <scrawford@pinpointresearch.com> writes: > >>> My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations". > >> It seems more like FAQ material than something for the manual. > > > > I prefer the manual. I would think the list would be pretty long and > > deal with lots of internals terms. > > My vote too. Just noticed I missed (probably one of many): > BLOB - Binary Large Object Do we use that term? Normally for us it's "large objects". -- Alvaro Herrera http://www.CommandPrompt.com/ PostgreSQL Replication, Consulting, Custom Development, 24x7 support
On Oct 19, 2007, at 1:20 PM, Steve Crawford wrote: > Bruce Momjian wrote: >> Tom Lane wrote: >>> Steve Crawford <scrawford@pinpointresearch.com> writes: >>>> My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations". >>> It seems more like FAQ material than something for the manual. >> >> I prefer the manual. I would think the list would be pretty long and >> deal with lots of internals terms. >> > > My vote too. Just noticed I missed (probably one of many): > BLOB - Binary Large Object As far as missed goes, I believe I saw OLAP but not OLTP. Erik Jones Software Developer | Emma® erik@myemma.com 800.595.4401 or 615.292.5888 615.292.0777 (fax) Emma helps organizations everywhere communicate & market in style. Visit us online at http://www.myemma.com
Alvaro Herrera wrote: > Steve Crawford wrote: >> Bruce Momjian wrote: >>> Tom Lane wrote: >>>> Steve Crawford <scrawford@pinpointresearch.com> writes: >>>>> My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations". >>>> It seems more like FAQ material than something for the manual. >>> I prefer the manual. I would think the list would be pretty long and >>> deal with lots of internals terms. >> My vote too. Just noticed I missed (probably one of many): >> BLOB - Binary Large Object > > Do we use that term? Normally for us it's "large objects". > Perhaps we should add "LO" but the documentation does refer to the term BLOB though typically in the context of "The SQL standard defines a different binary string type, called BLOB..." or in the list of reserved words. Cheers, Steve
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On 10/19/07 14:36, Alvaro Herrera wrote: > Steve Crawford wrote: >> Bruce Momjian wrote: >>> Tom Lane wrote: >>>> Steve Crawford <scrawford@pinpointresearch.com> writes: >>>>> My vote is to add "Appendix I. Abbreviations". >>>> It seems more like FAQ material than something for the manual. >>> I prefer the manual. I would think the list would be pretty long and >>> deal with lots of internals terms. >> My vote too. Just noticed I missed (probably one of many): >> BLOB - Binary Large Object > > Do we use that term? Normally for us it's "large objects". Good news everyone! "Large objects" is generic enough that if PG is ever ported to the IBM 1400 that you won't have to come up with a new acronym: DLOB (Decimal Large OBject). - -- Ron Johnson, Jr. Jefferson LA USA Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Hit him with a fish, and he goes away for good! -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFHGRT8S9HxQb37XmcRAvnnAJwO9RVzeNwFWh5hCdQNnUihDuy2QQCeJyUL SHMDqqSUmIPbTLU5d+/LmKI= =y/Vu -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Hi, Le Friday 19 October 2007 22:29:37 Steve Crawford, vous avez écrit : > > Do we use that term? Normally for us it's "large objects". > > Perhaps we should add "LO" but the documentation does refer to the term > BLOB though typically in the context of "The SQL standard defines a > different binary string type, called BLOB..." or in the list of reserved > words. This topic was discussed on IRC the other day, and we seemed to conclude that what standard SQL refers to as CLOB and BLOB can be compared to PostgreSQL text and bytea types with TOAST storage, which makes them out-of-line text or binary objects. Large Objects seems to be another beast when compared to blobs... As I'm still pretty ignorant on the matter, though, I'd appreciate it if some light was to be made ;) Regards, -- dim