[oi-dev] Moving on with postgresql

[Austin Kim]

On Apr 17, 2021, at 7:22 PM, Till Wegmueller <toasterson at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Gary
> 
> I use Postgres and extensions for all Applications I develop professionally and privately.
> 
> We use mostly 12 and upwards 13 being the standard and I am waiting for 14 to hit. The last Bugfix release for 9.5 was on 2021-02-11 so quite recently.
> 
> I would love to have 13 and modern 12 packaged, especially as we have a build server for them sponsored by the Oi community. So we know it builds even on current develop.
> 
> My preference for the record is to have 13, 12 and 11. Older ones should only be used for people still needing them. AWS only offers those in their offerings as well, so not many people will want 10 or older.
> 
> -Till
> 
> On 17.04.21 18:46, Gary Mills wrote:
>> OI currently has postgresql versions: 95 96 10 11 12 .  The OI
>> default, in shared-macros.mk, is 95 .  However, the postgresql
>> developers report that 95 is unsupported, but 13 is available and
>> supported.  Something has to change in OI to move forward with
>> postgresql.
>> Here are some actions that could be taken with OI.  We could change
>> the default version to 10.  I, myself, would prefer 11.  We could
>> obsolete 95.  I'd prefer obsoleting 95 and 96.  We could add version
>> 13, but only after 96 is obsoleted.  We should limit the number of
>> postgresql versions in OI, after all.  Finally, we could make no
>> obsoletions or additions, retaining even the unsupported 95.  Which
>> would you prefer?
>> I have not investigated two questions.  Perhaps you can tell me?  What
>> are the consequences of obsoleting 95?  What are the consequences of
>> the default change?

Hi,

Sorry for posting to this list as I’m only an OpenIndiana user, not a developer, but PostgreSQL is the DB I use most.

From a PostgreSQL user’s perspective, could the project maintain PostgreSQL packaging for whatever the three most-recent release series are (for example, currently 13.2, 12.6, and 11.11)?  Assuming the Project does not have a large staff, as a user I would much prefer that the focus be on healthily maintaining packaging for whatever the three highest-numbered release series are at any given time, rather than divert developer time and attention away to maintaining the packaging for older versions (_e. g._, when 14.0 comes out, maintain 14.*, 13.*, and 12.*, but obsolete <= 11.*).  If people needed newer releases from release series older than the three highest-numbered release series, they could always build it themselves.  But by maintaining packaging for the three most-recent release series in the IPS package repository, when a new release series comes out sysadmins could have sufficient time to transition their systems.

Austin

“We are responsible for actions performed in response to circumstances for which we are not responsible.”  —Allan Massie, _A Question of Loyalties_, 1989