D. Dante Lorenso wrote: > > When I started with PostgreSQL and MySQL, MySQL was far easier > > to use > > I started with MySQL and it WAS easier to use. It was easier because > the manual essentially reads: > > -- we didn't implement anything complicated that's why > -- we are fast. > > The only SQL customizations that MySQL has that I really miss in PostgreSQL > are the commands: > > SHOW DATABASES; > SHOW TABLES; > DESC table; > > That was ubber simple to do in MySQL. To this day, I have trouble with > that in PostgreSQL. I'm constantly doing: > > psql> \? > psql> help; > ERROR: syntax error at or near "help" at character 1 > psql> \h > ... > * damnit, that's not it...* > psql> \? > psql> \d > * ok, now which flag do I use for tables vs functions..etc?* > > I finally figure it out, I just end up forgetting again later. I still > have no clue how I'd find the same data without using psql. In MySQL > I can run those queries from PHP, PERL...etc. I know you can find that > data in system tables in PostgreSQL, but I don't wanna muck around with > all that. I just wanna do something as simple as MySQL.
[ Moved to hackers.] I am starting to agree that our \d* handling is just too overloaded. Look at the option list from \?: Informational \d [NAME] describe table, index, sequence, or view \d{t|i|s|v|S} [PATTERN] (add "+" for more detail) list tables/indexes/sequences/views/system tables \da [PATTERN] list aggregate functions \dc [PATTERN] list conversions \dC list casts \dd [PATTERN] show comment for object \dD [PATTERN] list domains \df [PATTERN] list functions (add "+" for more detail) \dg [PATTERN] list groups \dn [PATTERN] list schemas \do [NAME] list operators \dl list large objects, same as \lo_list \dp [PATTERN] list table access privileges \dT [PATTERN] list data types (add "+" for more detail) \du [PATTERN] list users \l list all databases (add "+" for more detail) \z [PATTERN] list table access privileges (same as \dp) Can anyone remember all those? With the single-letter options, once the list got too long, we started encouraging long option names. It seems the same is true of \d. I like the idea of adding a new syntax to show that information using simple SQL command syntax, and putting it in the backend so all applications can access it. I know we have information schema, and maybe that can be used to make this simpler. -- Bruce Momjian | http://candle.pha.pa.us [EMAIL PROTECTED] | (610) 359-1001 + If your life is a hard drive, | 13 Roberts Road + Christ can be your backup. | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073 ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate subscribe-nomail command to [EMAIL PROTECTED] so that your message can get through to the mailing list cleanly