Re: Range Types and extensions

On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 6:59 PM, Jeff Davis <pgsql(at)j-davis(dot)com> wrote:
> There might also be some middle ground, where its like the minimalist
> approach, but with a few very basic constructors and accessors. That
> would at least make it easier to test, but then to be actually useful
> (with index support, operators, fancy functions, etc.) you'd need the
> extension.
>
> Thoughts?

I can see merit to having parts of RANGE implemented in core, along
with some of the "usage parts" implemented as extensions, so that if
I'm not actually using (say) INET ranges, then the database isn't
cluttered up with all the functions and operators for INET ranges.

How to slice it apart into an appropriate admixture of core and
extensions is a good question, though it seems pretty likely that
having an extension for each data type that is to be mixed into a
range is a reasonable way to go.

I think this also can make some would-be arguments against RANGE go away...

"I hate that this RANGE extension means we have to draw 5000 lines of
code into every database, and draws in 275 operator functions"
evaporates if the "base" part is entirely smaller, and if you only
draw in all the functions and operators if you request loading of each
of the 17 extensions.

Per-type extensions offers a pretty natural partitioning of the code
for each type, which seems pretty good.
--
When confronted by a difficult problem, solve it by reducing it to the
question, "How would the Lone Ranger handle this?"