ads' corner

The three PostgreSQL projects for this year’s Google Summer of Code are on track, and making good progress. All projects expect to finish on time.

Performance Farm

The data gathering for performance farm members is completed, as well as the new implementation for the JSON data transfer. The project iteratively updated it’s goals, and adjusted for newly identified UI issues.

Current work centers around making the website more pretty and useful, as well as reducing the number of used JavaScript libraries. The next step is presenting the work to the PostgreSQL Community for broader feedback.

The PostgreSQL Project participates in Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2020, with 3 projects. After the “Community Bonding” period finished last week, we are now in the active development phase - “Coding” as Google calls it. All three projects make good progress!

The PostgreSQL main website has a new page: “Related Projects”.

This page lists the projects which help running and maintaining the PostgreSQL project, the infrastructure, and other things like the translations for press releases. For each project it lists links to the source, as well as information where to send updates, patches, or input.

If you want to get involved in one of the projects, that’s your starting point. If a project is missing, please send a note or a patch to pgsql-www.

Many thanks to Jonathan S. Katz for polishing the patch, and making it look nice!

Pavlo recently pointed out that the pg_sleep() function in PostgreSQL has two alternatives: pg_sleep_for() and pg_sleep_until().

What do they do?

The PostgreSQL Project is present with a booth at FOSDEM ever since 2007. Since 2008 we organize a Devroom, since 2013 we have our own PGDay on the Friday before FOSDEM. This year marks the 8th FOSDEM PGDay.

This blog post presents useful information about the PGDay, the booth and Devroom at FOSDEM.

For the 13th year, the PostgreSQL Project is participating in Google Summer of Code (GSoC). This project is a great opportunity to let students learn about Open Source projects, and help them deliver new features. It is also a chance to engage the students beyond just one summer, and grow them into active contributors.

At FOSDEM someone asked how long 64 bit Transaction-IDs will last.

To refresh: PostgreSQL is currently using 32 bits for the TXID, and is good for around 4 billion transactions:

The PostgreSQL Project participates in Google Code-In (GCI) 2018. This is a program which allows pre-university students to pick up tasks defined by the partnering open source projects, learn about these projects, and also win a prize (certificates, t-shirts, hoodies, but also a trip to Google HQ).

Every project creates a number different tasks, some technical, some design based, some about updating documentation, or validating bugs. Whatever is useful in order to get to know the project better. Students can select tasks and submit their work. Mentors from the project then evaluate the work, and either approve it or send it back to the student because more work is needed.

For a long time I was using a Makefile to quickly build, start, stop and then wipe a predefined PostgreSQL version. That comes handy if you just want to test something on an older version, without actually installing the software. Everything happens in a single directory, even a different port is assigned.

The PostgreSQL Project was assigned a devroom at FOSDEM again this year. We got a room with approx. 200 seats, and as usual every last seat was taken for many of the talks. This requires that we manage the room very effectively and carefully, both to avoid that people walk in and out at all times and disturb the speaker, but also in order to keep the exits free at all times.