Re: initdb initial password

>> I would like to add capability to initdb to accept the
>password for the
>> superuser account at invocation. Right now, I can use
>--pwprompt or -W
>> to have it ask for a password. But for the win32 GUI
>installed I'd like
>> to ask for the password in the installer, and pass it to initdb.
>> Considering how it's done in different places, what's the
>preferred way
>> to do this? Commandline parameter? Environment variable? Other (what
>> would that be?)
>
>There's a reason why it's done that way, which is that the others are
>all insecure.  At least on some Unixen.

Other binaries accept the password as an environment variable. Are you
saying that it's secure to pass it as environment variable to
psql/pgdump/etc but not to initdb? If so, care to enlighten me as to why
this is different (I'm clearly not seeing why..)?

Assuming it isn't, would a patch that added a commandline switch for
this on win32 only (#ifdef:ed) be accepted? On win32 you can't see the
commandline of another process (unless you are admin on the box and
activate debugging privileges, but you've lost against an admin anyway -
same as root on *nix), so it should be safe enough there.

//Magnus