Re: Dollar in identifiers

Quite awhile back, we had a discussion about removing "$" from the set
of allowed characters in operator names, and instead allowing it as a
non-first character in identifiers.  (It'd have to be non-first to avoid
ambiguity with parameter symbols "$nnn".)  See, eg,
http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-hackers/2001-08/msg00629.php

That discussion petered out without any definite consensus being
reached, but I think it's time to reconsider the idea.  We're getting
flak about "x<$n" being parsed as "x <$ n" rather than "x < $n" (see
current thread in pgsql-sql).  While this has always been a hazard for
SQL and plpgsql function writers, it is now also a hazard in direct
SQL, if you use PREPAREd queries.  So I think the importance of avoiding
such problems has moved up a notch as of 7.3.

So, I'd like to put that proposal back on the table.  Comments anyone?
        regards, tom lane