Re: JDBC 4 Compliance - Mailing list pgsql-jdbc

1. Stability has to be top priority. I say this on the basis that every
month that goes by, more and more organisations are either evaluating or
making a switch away from proprietary databases and onto PostgreSQL. A
great many of these are Java shops using some form of server environment
such as Tomcat, Glassfish, WebSphere etc., so access will normally be
via the JDBC Driver. To de-stabilise the existing driver in any way,
shape or form, has the potential to de-rail the adoption of PostgreSQL
in a big, big way. Do not do it!

That's why you promote the existing driver as the 'stable' driver, and start development on a new code base.

2. To say that anything prior to Java7 is "dead" is ridiculous at this
point in time, at least in a commercial environment. In one or two
year's time however it may be different.

Which is likely the time frame to get a new driver code base up to snuff, tested, and deemed stable.

Yes, there may be compelling
security reasons to upgrade from 6 to 7, but in an existing deployed
commercial environment happily running Java 5 or 6, you are only going
to upgrade to Java 7 if there is a very good reason to do so. I can
recall numerous examples of a "simple" Java version upgrade breaking one
or more production systems. I've just checked the very latest WebShere
offering from IBM (Version 8.5.5) and that still installs Java6 by default.

Ok, so use the current driver, and let someone develop a newer one.

3. Yes, the current driver is not perfect, and there are several missing
features which most people have identified as being more than just a
nice to have.

Current users don't have to upgrade to a newer driver. The great thing about software (and computers) is that they always do exactly what they did the day you first started using them.

In particular the work on getting XA support working
correctly by Bryan Varner is something that will certainly help with
installations running high transaction rate Glassfish or WebSphere
installations and using the XA mode driver is a requirement.

It wasn't just me. Adam Gray and Kirk Winters also helped out immensely with planning, review, testing, and code contributions. Thank POLARIS Laboratories, not me.

The big
question is how do we get these new features and major fixes into the
current driver without risk of destabilisation?

Why bother? If the current driver works for most people they can keep using it.



As an aside, I think it's interesting that the longer this thread goes, the more it proves the point that it's easier to just go do it yourself.

Regards,
-Bryan Varner

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