Re: [HACKERS] A small problem with the new inet and cidr types

Thus spake Tom Ivar Helbekkmo
> While we're talking of release cycles, I'd like to take the liberty to
> post something that I've been keeping around for a while, which was
> written by Dave Burgess (of *BSD FAQ fame) some time back.  He was
> posting to a NetBSD mailing list, so there is wording in here that's
> specific to that environment, but there is much good, general truth
> here.  With respect to the CIDR case, note especially his "get it
> right or get it out" rule.  Translated to PostgreSQL 6.4 terms, we
> get: "Whoah!  This wasn't what we wanted!  Decide quick: do we ship
> what we have, or do we ditch it and do it right for 6.5?".  We chose
> to do neither, and there's a lesson to be learned from this.

Perhaps but let me point out a few things.
 - The code wasn't that late.  Other things were holding up release   and the inet/cidr stuff was in by the drop dead
datewe were given   at the time.
 
 - We may not have followed the release method you quote but that   wasn't our release method at the time.  Perhaps it
shouldbe   but let's not be blinded by hindsight.
 
 - The latest problem has turned out to be a general problem with   the system.  Rather than being an added bug, having
thisin now   just allowed us to find an existing problem sooner than we might   have otherwise.
 
 - Because of a few late night coding sessions we now have a really   cool feature and we beat the market.  That's
somethingwe can use in   our announcement.  Putting this feature in, even if we pushed the   deadline a little, didn't
weakenthe product, it strengthened it.
 

I don't want to sound defensive but people have been sounding negative
about having this type in.  I just want to make sure that we all see
the positive side of this too.

> Let me also take this opportunity to submit a plug for "The Mythical
> Man-Month" by Frederick P. Brooks.  Anyone involved in software
> development who hasn't yet read it, should.  Get the 1995 special
> edition, expanded and edited from the original.

I'll second that.

-- 
D'Arcy J.M. Cain <darcy@{druid|vex}.net>   |  Democracy is three wolves
http://www.druid.net/darcy/                |  and a sheep voting on
+1 416 424 2871     (DoD#0082)    (eNTP)   |  what's for dinner.