I agree with you 100% about this - whoever it won't affect new users
starting with v8 (including many new Windows users), and those migrating
from other dbs (like Oracle).
If a config switch was available for the build process that could
preserve the "old" behavior - it wouldn't really pose a problem for
existing users migrating their systems to v8 provided they set the
switch appropriately.
A warning message on psql start might help:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Welcome to psql 8.0, the PostgreSQL interactive terminal.
Type: \copyright for distribution terms
\h for help with SQL commands
\? for help on internal slash commands
\g or terminate with semicolon to execute query
\q to quit
AUTOCOMMIT is ON/OFF <-- depending on the way it is built
dbname=#
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is an opportunity here to make psql more standards compliant and it
can be done in such a way so as not to p*ss off the existing user base,
and break their applications.
John Sidney-Woollett
Peter Eisentraut wrote:
> John Sidney-Woollett wrote:
>
>>It will break any newly compiled version of psql expecting to work to
>>the old behaviour. It won't affect anyone using an older version of
>>postgres or psql (ie pre version 8).
>
>
> Of course there are no backward compatibility issues when you keep using
> the old version. The problem is that people will use the new psql
> expecting it to behave like the old one. This isn't a small secondary
> change; it fundamentally changes the interaction with the program.
>