Centuries ago, Nostradamus foresaw when scrappy@postgresql.org ("Marc G. Fournier") would write:
> On Sat, 4 Sep 2004, Gaetano Mendola wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> now that Apache Portable Runtime was release why don't
>> use it on Postgres?
>
> Short question: why? what does it give us, other then potential
> reliance on another project to build ... ?
It would allow reopening all the threads about why PostgreSQL doesn't
use threading...
That being said, there are places where there would be merit to using
threading in PostgreSQL, though NOT where the usual futile discussions
ask for it. Notably, on an SMP system, it would be a neat idea for
complex queries involving joins to split themselves so that different
parts run in separate threads.
The other Way, Way Cool part would be for queries that are scanning
big tables to split the scans into unions of partial scans, so that on
an 8 CPU box you'd take the "Big 4GB Table" and have 8 threads
simultaneously scanning different parts of it. (And making ARC all
the more important :-).)
But that would, however it happened, involve BIG, SCARY changes...
... And since APR isn't BSD licensed, that would probably cause a
problem.
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