> Sorry I think I got it finally: what you are saying is that pg_dump is
> not only a backup tool, but some kind of database format conversion
> tool. Now I think I understand why implementing externally makes sense.
This is what I meant.
> However, it would be nice to also have a simple, non-converting
> pg_dumb_dump utility available, easy to re-implement and maintain in
> other languages than C with minimal duplication. Something based on a
> two commands only protocol: "SAVE DATABASE" and "RESTORE DATABASE".
>
> Most backups operations do not care about cross-compatibility. Backups
> happen much more often than upgrades!
Actually, if there were a working and maintained pg_upgrade, I'm pretty
sure nobody would use pg_dump as an upgrade facility anymore. Then it
could be integrated to the server...
Or alternatively, given that when you upgrade you usually dump/reload
anyway, the new server itself could connect to the old one and pull the
dump/reload in one go.
Cheers,
Csaba.