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Date: Tue, 11 Aug 92 14:57:17 -0700
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From: Deborah Swanberg <deborah@citi.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: query interface
To: postgres@postgres.berkeley.edu
Sender: pg_adm@postgres.berkeley.edu


Tom, you are right, CPU cyles are something we don't need
to worry about, generally.  CPU cycles do become an issue, however,
when the object is 100M.  But Postgres offers the large file
paradigm which permits untranslated blocks to be passed.

I'm working with images, sound, etc.  Having to convert
this data to a string just to communicate to the database
is an extra, unnecessary step I hate wasting the PROGRAMMING
cycles on.  

But along a more philosophical line, I don't believe the 
text-string interface is an appropriate interface when working with 
non-alphanumeric data.  The string interface is a good tool
when alphanumeric data is to be displayed, it offers the developers the
freedom from having to code the string translation themselves.  But
databases are being used to store and manage new types of data which no
longer fit the string paradigm.  They should evolve to meet the needs
of new applications and systems, rather than remaining in the world of
teletype forever.

I'm just beginning to explore this, and rather than waste my time
duplicating effort, I was wondering if someone might have solved parts
of this problem.  I know others are working on similar issues,
especially as the sequoia project is looking to working with images for
global warming.



> 
> 
> 
> 
> From daimi.aau.dk!tthorn Tue Aug 11 17:22:09 1992
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 92 11:56:07 -0700
> From: tthorn@daimi.aau.dk
> To: postgres@postgres.Berkeley.EDU
> Message-Id: <9208111856.AA29150@postgres.Berkeley.EDU>
> Subject: query interface
> 
>    From: Deborah Swanberg <deborah@citi.umich.edu>
> 
>    I'm interested in developing a code structured, rather than
>    string structured, interface to Postgres for submitting queries.
>    It doesn't quite make sense to me that my interface should 
>    have to translate data structures to string, and then that Postgres 
>    should have to translate from string to data structures.
>    A code structured interface would require interfacing at a
>    lower level to Postgres.
> 
>    Comments?
> 
> Why bother? Having a well defined interface, like the query strings,
> really buys you a lot, for debugging and ease of program changes.
> The cycles wasted in assembling a command and parsing it is not an
> issue on a modern workstation.
> 
> ..of course this was not what you would like to hear, so good luck.
> 
> /Tommy Thorn
> 
>