hello,

This weekend I read the User guide front to back. I hadn't done that
since 6.2 or thereabouts...

I have one request for improvement:

In the CREATE DATABASE chapter it may be usefull to include the options
for LATIN1 etc. I was a bit surprized that they weren't there seeing the
international following of the software. For a newcomer this could save
a certain number of hours of headscratching when the accentuated
characters don't show up...

If I was to rate the manual I would say "better than many manuals for
shrinkwrap software but loses steam towards the end".

Cheers

Tony Grant


-- 
RedHat Linux on Sony Vaio C1XD/S
http://www.animaproductions.com/linux2.html
Macromedia UltraDev with PostgreSQL
http://www.animaproductions.com/ultra.html


06 Aug 2001 13:40:20 +0200
Tony Grant <tony@animaproductions.com>
user guide
On 6 Aug 2001, Tony Grant wrote:

> hello,
> 
> This weekend I read the User guide front to back. I hadn't done that
> since 6.2 or thereabouts...
> 
> I have one request for improvement:

<snip>

I have a suggestion, as well: I think the PostgreSQL documentatio could
use a section that discusses all the maintenance issues in one place.
Documentation for VACUUM is stuck in the Reference section, when I think
it makes sense to also cover it in the Admin Section. Here's waht I'd like
to see in Adin:

  Backup and Restor (already there)
  Database Mainentence
      VACUUM
      VACUUM ANALYZE
      Rebuilding Indexes (Does this even apply to PG?)

Thanks,

David

-- 
David Wheeler                                         AIM: dwTheory
David@Wheeler.net                                     ICQ: 15726394
                                                   Yahoo!: dew7e
                                                   Jabber: Theory@jabber.org


Mon, 6 Aug 2001 08:35:54 -0700 (PDT)
David Wheeler <David@Wheeler.net>
Re: user guide
David Wheeler <David@Wheeler.net> writes:
> I have a suggestion, as well: I think the PostgreSQL documentatio could
> use a section that discusses all the maintenance issues in one place.

I agree.  Do I hear a volunteer to write it?

			regards, tom lane

Mon, 06 Aug 2001 12:19:18 -0400
Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
Re: user guide 
David Wheeler writes:

> I have a suggestion, as well: I think the PostgreSQL documentatio could
> use a section that discusses all the maintenance issues in one place.

This is already on the TODO list.

-- 
Peter Eisentraut   peter_e@gmx.net   http://funkturm.homeip.net/~peter


Mon, 6 Aug 2001 18:27:16 +0200 (CEST)
Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>
Re: user guide
Hi,

> > I have a suggestion, as well: I think the PostgreSQL documentatio could
> > use a section that discusses all the maintenance issues in one place.
>
>I agree.  Do I hear a volunteer to write it?

I'd be interested in looking at it.
Is it just this todo item : Add mention of VACUUM, log rotation to 
Administrator's Guide ?


-----------------
      Chris Smith
http://www.squiz.net/

Tue, 07 Aug 2001 09:05:13 +1000
Chris <csmith@squiz.net>
Re: user guide 
> > I have a suggestion, as well: I think the PostgreSQL documentatio could
> > use a section that discusses all the maintenance issues in one place.
> This is already on the TODO list.

I've started expanding the Admin chapter on database recovery (expanding
was easy; it has been "Any volunteers to write this?" for two or three
years now). At the moment, I've split the info into two chapters on
"Failure" (discussing various failure scenarios) and "Recovery".

Comments and organizational suggestions are welcome. Will commit
sometime soon so others can contribute if they would like.

                   - Thomas

Tue, 07 Aug 2001 00:07:39 +0000
Thomas Lockhart <lockhart@alumni.caltech.edu>
Re: user guide
Chris <csmith@squiz.net> writes:
>>> I have a suggestion, as well: I think the PostgreSQL documentatio could
>>> use a section that discusses all the maintenance issues in one place.
>> 
>> I agree.  Do I hear a volunteer to write it?

> I'd be interested in looking at it.
> Is it just this todo item : Add mention of VACUUM, log rotation to 
> Administrator's Guide ?

That was added as a result of the thread starting at
http://fts.postgresql.org/db/mw/msg.html?mid=115811

There are two things I think we need: one is a discussion of each of
these topics (which AFAIR are presently discussed nowhere); the other
is a short "checklist of maintenance concerns" that links to longer
discussions of each relevant topic.  For example, there's already a
discussion of backup methods, but it'd be good if that were listed in a
checklist of things for the budding admin to think about.

Or you could reorganize the Admin Guide so that backup and these other
things are sections in a Maintenance chapter.  Not sure if that'd be
better.

			regards, tom lane

Mon, 06 Aug 2001 20:14:06 -0400
Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
Re: [GENERAL] Re: user guide 
Thomas Lockhart writes:

> I've started expanding the Admin chapter on database recovery (expanding
> was easy; it has been "Any volunteers to write this?" for two or three
> years now). At the moment, I've split the info into two chapters on
> "Failure" (discussing various failure scenarios) and "Recovery".

Seems like that should be only one chapter.

-- 
Peter Eisentraut   peter_e@gmx.net   http://funkturm.homeip.net/~peter


Wed, 8 Aug 2001 01:11:27 +0200 (CEST)
Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>
Re: [GENERAL] user guide
> > I've started expanding the Admin chapter on database recovery (expanding
> > was easy; it has been "Any volunteers to write this?" for two or three
> > years now). At the moment, I've split the info into two chapters on
> > "Failure" (discussing various failure scenarios) and "Recovery".
> Seems like that should be only one chapter.

Yes, maybe. Easy enough to merge back together. I split them because
there is not a one to one correspondence between potential failures and
recovery procedures.

                - Thomas

Wed, 08 Aug 2001 01:19:16 +0000
Thomas Lockhart <lockhart@fourpalms.org>
Re: [GENERAL] user guide