About a year or two ago I submitted a configuration patch that allowed
PostgreSQL to be fully configured by postgresql.conf -- enabling data and
configuration to be in separate locations. The idea was that, like most
UNIX systems, that the configuration file could be stored in the /etc
directory (or /etc/postgres or /usr/etc or whatever) and it could contain
all the various system directory and file locations, like pg_hba, and so
on.
There was a lot of debate about it, and I don't recall many arguments
against this sort of configuration strategy, only that there was a dislike
of my patch because it wasn't an all encompassing re-write of the
configuration system.
I have been maintaining it for the various versions of PostgreSQL since
that time for my own use, can we re-open this debate? It has been a good
deal of time with no progress, and I don't think anyone can deny that a
more flexable configuration based on the idea that configuration and data
are in SEPARATE locations is important.