On 09/02/2014 05:44 AM, Álvaro Hernández Tortosa wrote:
On 02/09/14 11:34, Mark Kirkwood wrote:
On 02/09/14 21:25, Álvaro Hernández Tortosa wrote:
On 02/09/14 05:24, Craig Ringer wrote:
I couldn't disagree more.
If we were to implement anything, it'd be PL/PSM
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL/PSM). I'm sure it's as bizarre and
quirky as anything else the SQL committee has brought forth, but
it's at
least a standard(ish) language.
So we'd choose a bizarre and quirky language instead of anything
better just because it's standard. I'm sure current and prospective
users will surely prefer a bizarre and quirky language that is standard
approved, rather than a modern, comfortable, easy-to-use, that is not
embodied by the ISO. No doubt ^_^
Well there is the risk that by randomly adding new syntax to PL/pgSQL
we turn it in a bizarre and quirky *non standard* language. Part of
the attraction of PL/pgsql is that it is Ada like - if we break that
too much then...well...that would be bad. So I think a careful
balance is needed, to add new features that keep the spirit of the
original language.
I agree. I think I haven't suggested adding new syntax to
pl/pgsql. But having its syntax similar to ADA is IMHO not something
good. I'm sure few prospective postgres users would be compelled to
that. They are compelled about JavaScript, python, Scala or Ruby, to
name a few, but definitely not ADA.
Just as a small nit pick - the name of the language is not ADA, but Ada.
It isn't an acronym. The language is named after Ada Lovelace, arguably
the world's first programmer. If you're not familiar with modern Ada,
let me recommend the newly published "Programming in Ada 2012" by John
Barnes. But I digress.
JavaScript would actually be quite a good alternative. However, using it
involves something others have objected to, namely calling SQL via a
function call. It's true that plpgsql lets you call SQL commands without
explicitly invoking SPI. OTOH, it actually relies on SPI under the hood
a lot more that other PLs, which I have little doubt is responsible for
timings like this:
andrew=# do $$ declare x int = 1; i int = 1; begin while i <
10000000 loop i := i + 1; x := x + 46; end loop; raise notice ' x =
%',x; end; $$;
NOTICE: x = 459999955
DO
Time: 13222.195 ms
andrew=# do $$ var x = 1; var i = 1; while (i < 10000000) { i += 1;
x += 46; } plv8.elog(NOTICE, "x = " + x); $$ language plv8;
NOTICE: x = 459999955
DO
Time: 27.976 ms
But I'm not suggesting we should implement a Javascript PL in core either.
Finally, +1 to Tom's suggestion upthread that we implement different
behaviours via pragmas rather than some new offshoot language. Maybe a
GUC could specify a default set of such pragmas, so you wouldn't need to
decorate every function with them.
cheers
andrew
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