Re: Fixed length datatypes. WAS [GENERAL] UUID's as

Jim C. Nasby wrote:

>On Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 01:18:39PM -0400, A.M. wrote:
>
>
>>On Wed, June 28, 2006 1:14 pm, mark(at)mark(dot)mielke(dot)cc wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 06:39:16PM +0200, Thomas Hallgren wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Instead, I would like to humbly request the inclusion of a UUID
>>>>datatype (or an opaque 128 bit datatype) in the core package. It's
>>>>increasingly common and some databases (MS SQLServer) already have built
>>>>in support for it.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>We have it. We're just not putting in the effort required to have it
>>>included in core, as it's too much effort to convince people that the type
>>>has value, that is is generic, and would be widely used without being
>>>abused. All the geometric types that I'll never use in core, with few or
>>>no uses, including functions to operate on these types, and no UUID
>>>type... Hehe... To me, that's irony... :-)
>>>
>>>
>>Is it on pgfoundry? From past discussions, the new criteria for getting
>>something into core is to first determine if it is successful on
>>pgfoundry.
>>
>>
>
>If http://lnk.nu/pgfoundry.org/a86.php is accurate, then no one has ever
>downloaded it. But I find that exceptionally hard to believe...
>
>Looking back through the list archives I think you'd find this comes up
>at least every few months.
>
>

That's because there is nothing there to download. See instead:
http://gborg.postgresql.org/project/pguuid/projdisplay.php

Personally I don't buy the misuse objection - we already have plenty of
things that can be misused. As long as there is a reasonable valid use
and we can make it portable enough, I think there is a good case for
including it.

cheers

andrew