Re: Fixed length datatypes. WAS [GENERAL] UUID's as

[Andrew Dunstan <andrew(at)dunslane(dot)net>]

Jim C. Nasby wrote:

> On Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 01:18:39PM -0400, A.M. wrote:
>  
>
> > On Wed, June 28, 2006 1:14 pm, mark(at)mark(dot)mielke(dot)cc wrote:
> >    
> >
> > > On Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 06:39:16PM +0200, Thomas Hallgren wrote:
> > >
> > >      
> > >
> > > > Instead, I would like to humbly request the inclusion of a UUID
> > > > datatype (or an opaque 128 bit datatype) in the core package. It's
> > > > increasingly common and some databases (MS SQLServer) already have built
> > > > in support for it.
> > > >        
> > > We have it. We're just not putting in the effort required to have it
> > > included in core, as it's too much effort to convince people that the type
> > > has value, that is is generic, and would be widely used without being
> > > abused. All the geometric types that I'll never use in core, with few or
> > > no uses, including functions to operate on these types, and no UUID
> > > type... Hehe... To me, that's irony... :-)
> > >      
> > Is it on pgfoundry? From past discussions, the new criteria for getting
> > something into core is to first determine if it is successful on
> > pgfoundry.
> >    
>
> If http://lnk.nu/pgfoundry.org/a86.php is accurate, then no one has ever
> downloaded it. But I find that exceptionally hard to believe...
>
> Looking back through the list archives I think you'd find this comes up
> at least every few months.
>  

That's because there is nothing there to download. See instead: 
http://gborg.postgresql.org/project/pguuid/projdisplay.php

Personally I don't buy the misuse objection - we already have plenty of 
things that can be misused. As long as there is a reasonable valid use 
and we can make it portable enough, I think there is a good case for 
including it.

cheers

andrew