On 9/16/20 9:52 AM, Tom Lane wrote:
> Magnus Hagander <magnus@hagander.net> writes:
>> On Wed, Sep 16, 2020 at 2:34 PM Jonathan S. Katz <jkatz@postgresql.org>
>> wrote:
>>> We've typically recommended doing the pg_upgrade since they may be
>>> coming from a version with a lower catversion. I can change "you will
>>> need" to "you may need" to be more accurate, but then that leads to the
>>> question "who may need?".
>
>> Maybe something like:
>
>> To upgrade from beta <when was the last catversion change>, you will need
>> to use a major version upgrade strategy..... To upgrade from beta <when
>> there was no catversion change>, just installing the new version and
>> restarting PostgreSQL is enough.
>
> The last catversion bump was between beta2 and beta3. Thus, if you
> were using beta2 or earlier, you *will* need a pg_upgrade or whatever.
> If you were on beta3 then it's more like a minor upgrade, just install
> the release executables and go.
...so this is why I typically leave the language as is. There are a
bunch of more correct permutations for how to describe what to do that
it's just simpler to say "will need to use..."
And because it's for betas/rc, the typical profile of one adopting the
betas are typically either developing the software or are very
experienced users. For those who are kicking the tires, the message
provides the safest of all options.
Now, if this were an update release, and if for whatever we had included
a catversion bump in the update release, I'd certainly mention that
explicitly.
My inclination is to leave the statement alone or use that 2nd proposal
I listed upthread.
Jonathan