Re: [HACKERS] Are we losing momentum?

> It's out of date and I did not receive any feedback on it (so I assume
> it's not very useful), but the patch submitted in late February would
> easily allow the described 'translation' to occur.
>
> Summary:
>
> Schema in backend translates a \<command> <arg> command into an sql
> query which is then to be executed.  Logic is still in psql, but the
> available commands and how data is retrieved from the schema was backend
> specific.
>
>
> I'm using it here due to it's ability to add new psql commands (since
> it's just data in a table.)
>
> http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-patches/2003-02/msg00216.php
>
>
> Anyway, might be useful for thoughts.  Simply moving the commands into
> the backend still leaves us with unsupported new commands in old clients
> or new commands in old databases (leaving errors) unless the SHOW ...
> syntax itself is handled by the backend.
>
> > :-/ Yeah, I've been following that from a distance and I'm not so wild
> > about that.  I really like that the information_schema has been
> > integrated into the base, but translating the SHOW commands into
> > SELECTs from information_schema on the backend seems like a bad idea
> > unless its going to be done abstract enough via some kind of rewrite
> > engine that allows users to program the database to translate their
> > verbiage into SQL (ex: KILL -> DROP, GET -> SELECT), which could be
> > kinda fun.

Anyone other than Rod (and now myself) had a chance to look this over?
This doesn't really address the lack of a SHOW syntax for new MySQL
users, but it sure does open up the possibilities for making it easier
to probe the backend.

On a related note, any thoughts on the SHOW stuff given that the topic
has come back to life on -hackers?  -sc

--
Sean Chittenden