Re: Is this fixable?

On 10/22/2014 01:00 AM, Christoph Berg wrote:
> Re: Markus Wanner 2014-10-20 <5444BAF0(dot)6020308(at)bluegap(dot)ch>
>>>> to date I've witnessed four postgres beginners then trying to
>>>> install postgres-xc and really messing up their servers.
>>
>> Granted, the advice is unfortunate. However, given postgres-xc conflicts
>> with postgresql-common, the package manager would have to ask about
>> uninstalling postgresql-common and all dependent Postgres packages. That
>> would raise a couple of red flags for me. So I'm also a bit surprised
>> people manage to screw their systems that way... AKA: It ain't broken
>> *that* badly.
>
> I've seen people who had gone down that road pop up on #postgresql
> more than once in the past. But yes, if you install something and it
> nukes half of your system, you somewhat get to break the pieces.
> (OTOH, if tons of HOWTOs on the internet and the PG docs talk about
> using pg_ctl, installing -xc to get it isn't that far-fetched.)
>
>> Another, simplistic idea: Given these packages currently conflict, could
>> (and should) postgresql-common provide a wrapper or dummy /usr/bin/pg_ctl?
>
> I've been pondering that, but I don't think that's a change we should
> be doing in the last week before the jessie freeze.

It would be a contradiction of several years of postgres/debian policy
as well, so I don't think you could do it without a fight.

I think the answer is to fix Ubuntu so that it stops recommending
postgres-xc. cc'ing Martin Pitt to see if he has any idea how to do that.

--
Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL Experts Inc.
http://pgexperts.com