Re: Updated documentation for new sequence binding

Jim C. Nasby wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 02, 2005 at 10:54:10PM -0400, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> > pgman wrote:
> > > I have marged Tom's description of the new sequence binding with text I
> > > was working on. I modified it to follow the existing "we used to do X,
> > > now we do Y" pattern in the surrounding entries:
> > >
> > > http://candle.pha.pa.us/tmp/pgsql/release.html#RELEASE-8-1
> >
> > Sorry, this is a better URL:
> >
> > http://candle.pha.pa.us/main/writings/pgsql/sgml/release.html#RELEASE-8-1
>
> Out of curiosity, how is this file maintained as development is done?
> The reason I'm asking is because it would be nice to have links to more
> information, especially for the 'one-liner' items in 1.3.1 for example,
> and it seems like that would be easier to do along-the-way rather than
> waiting for the end. Even a link to a mailing list discussion would be
> better than nothing...

I go through the CVS commits and make the release notes just before
beta. During it incrementally is much more work.

> That said, what's
>
> Improve the optimizer, including auto-resizing of hash joins (Tom)
>
> mean?

We would sometimes fail in a query where the allocated memory was larger
than our hash could hold. This fixed that.

>
> On full_page_writes, are we certain that all battery-backed disk caches
> ensure that partial-page writes can't happen?

Well, I would think so, but I have no documentation to state that. The
battery-backed memory is supposed to allow for power failure and keep
writes in the cache until they hit the disk.

> Maybe pg_column_siz should just be included in the item for all the
> other size functions brought into the backend? If not, ISTM they should
> at least be one after the other in the list...

Not really. It is different in that is does not aggregate values, but
just the storage of a column.

> Finally, weren't more changes made it contrib than what's listed?
> Nothing's said about pg_autovacuum for example.

Moved to the main server. That is mentioned.

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