> > A larger question is whether unsigned types really add much to the
> > system vs. the bloat. We already have unsigned int4 as oid. Also,
> > unsigned doubles the space of the type, but if a value doesn't fit in
> > 32k, what are the odds it will fit in 64k. I am not sure unsigned
> > optimzations for space really are significant in SQL.
> If general opinion is that unsigned types should not be part of
> postgres, I'll have to look at turning them into a contrib type. Please
> let me know.
Imho this would be better. These types are not generally available (e.g. not in Oracle).
One other approach to the porting issue would probably simply involve moving
from int2 to integer with an appropriate check constraint
[int xx check (xx between 0 and 65536)], and from int4 to decimal(9).
Andreas