Thread: Re: [HACKERS] char types gone.

>
> The nicest thing would be if contrib was changed to "modules", and
> everything was compiled and installed in /usr/local/pgsql/modules/.
> Then the user could install them by typing "INSMOD ORACLE" and then
> /usr/local/pgsql/modules/oracle/insmod.sql would be executed and
> install shared libraries and sql commands. "RMMOD ORACLE" would
> do the opposite. Just like Linux modules.

Vadim has something very similar to this in the contrib/spi Makefile.

Would be a nice model to follow.  I agree with your other comment about
the impression given by "contrib."

Contrib could stay the way it is, for independent contributions, then
have a new directory, "modules", for contributions that are integrated
into the postgres make.

Tonight I will finalize my patch for the char types removal and then
later in the week think more about this idea.

> Perhaps it would even be possible to autoload modules if the modules
> directories contains a file with commands/functions listed, which
> would be searched automagically...
>
> This is the idea:
>
> Is it possible to register commands dynamically in the parser?

CREATE COMMAND would be a new one.  Talk about extensibility! :)

darrenk

On Tue, 24 Mar 1998, Darren King wrote:

> >
> > The nicest thing would be if contrib was changed to "modules", and
> > everything was compiled and installed in /usr/local/pgsql/modules/.
> > Then the user could install them by typing "INSMOD ORACLE" and then
> > /usr/local/pgsql/modules/oracle/insmod.sql would be executed and
> > install shared libraries and sql commands. "RMMOD ORACLE" would
> > do the opposite. Just like Linux modules.
>
> Vadim has something very similar to this in the contrib/spi Makefile.
>
> Would be a nice model to follow.  I agree with your other comment about
> the impression given by "contrib."
>
> Contrib could stay the way it is, for independent contributions, then
> have a new directory, "modules", for contributions that are integrated
> into the postgres make.

    Doing something like an LKM (loadable kernel module) would be,
IMHO, neat, if it could be done seamlessly...we have the loading
capabilities now...but seamlessly would mean that I didn't have to think
about adding it each time I upgraded my server.  If you can pull *that*
off, then we might have something to consider.

    As long as JoeUser that wants to use the geometric types doesn't
have to think of adding them in to use them, great...I don't want, in 6
months, to realize that I don't have those geometric types installed when
I happen to require them :(