Re: [HACKERS] postconfig/PGLIB/initdb

Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net> writes:
> So, to summarize:
> * PGLIB, keep it or lose it?

I had assumed that PGLIB was used for dynamic loading of extension
modules, but I now see that it isn't.  It's primarily used by initdb
to find the data files needed for initialization of template1.  AFAICT
it's not used by a running postmaster or backend at all.

If you can reliably find the location of the executing script, I
think it'd be a fine idea to lose PGLIB and instead get the data
files from "BINDIR/../lib/".  One less setting to get wrong.

(I'm not convinced yet about that "if", though.  Do you have a
substitute for "which" that you think is portable?  How can we
test it?)

> * postconfig, keep it or lose it?

Since postconfig is invoked as just "postconfig", trying to use it
introduces a very strong dependency on PATH.  I've never used it
so maybe I'm not seeing what it's good for --- but my guess is that
in the situation where you've got multiple versions installed, trying
to use postconfig would just result in confusion and havoc.  And in
the case where you have only one installation, it's not necessary.

I'm not really seeing what postconfig brings to the party.  If you
want the config to depend on your path, you can put the appropriate
BINDIR in your path, no?
        regards, tom lane