Blog

PostgreSQL at DEFCON 19

A while ago a gentlemen by the name of Josh (Abstrct) McDougall contacted me about a game he created and subsequent contest being held at DEFCON 19. What makes this so interesting is the majority of the game was created in PostgreSQL. This truly exposed the power of PostgreSQL and the ability to create business (or data) logic directly within the database instead of just using the database as a …

Fixing foreign key deadlocks, part three

As I have posted in previous articles ( Fixing foreign key deadlocks and Part 2), I am working on reducing the lock strength required by foreign key checks. I have a working patch that solves a lot of the problems already; however it doesn't solve the one problem that I initially set to fix. It turned out to require a bit more rejiggering than I initially considered.

Note: this …

CFP for West extended

PostgreSQL Conference West 2011 has extended it's call for papers by 12 days. The new schedule is below:

May 25th: Talk submission opens
August 12th: Talk submission closes (EXTENDED!)
August 16th: Speaker notification

The Conference, the largest direct financial contributor to the PostgreSQL community but money isn't always what the community needs. One of the things our community needs is a way to create a stable financial environment for developers …

Learning from mistakes, taking new directions, observations

Alright, so they aren't really new directions. Command Prompt has been submitting features to .Org for a long time, we have also been a large generator of content through activity on the mailing lists, the publicly available (if outdated) Practical PostgreSQL and not to mention all the content we provide through the PostgreSQL Conference site. However, with all of these things it is easy to get lost in the mire …

PostgreSQL Conference West to sponsor PostgreSQL feature development

As the primary organizer of The PostgreSQL Conference series, Command Prompt has been trying to find ways to continue to support the PostgreSQL Community. The Conference is already the highest direct financial contributor but the money isn't always what the community needs. The documentation may need some work (pg_dump section I am looking at you), we might want server to execute performance testing or there are features that the …

Netflix should tell 6,000 users to please cancel their accounts

Today, Netflix upped its rates. It was not an excessive increase (dollar wise) but it was enough to get some masses frothing at the mouth [1]. Here is the deal folks, Netflix is cheap, really cheap. It is so cheap that their selection is dwindling as their contracts become due. To get even close to the equivalent service from a cable company you would be looking at upward of 100.00 …

Real-world example of adding SAML authentication to a JBoss application

What is SAML?

SAML stands for Security Assertion Markup Language. It's an XML-based markup language and also an open security protocol standard. The most important feature of this protocol is Web Browser Single Sign-On (SSO.) SSO allows users to login once and never be prompted for login/password later.

In this post we'll describe how to add SAML support to existing web application with the bare minimum of modifications to the …

Actually, I am going to #PgWest (and you might not want to)

OK, I am just trying to set the record straight. People are still confused thinking I might not be going to #PgWest, but I am. I know where the confusion comes from; there are a few other conferences going on during that time frame but the only two that matter are #PgWest and Surge. So, to be clear, I will be going to #PGWest this year not Surge. …

#PgWest 2011: CFP Open

Following on the smashing success of PostgreSQL Conference East, PostgreSQL Conference West, The PostgreSQL Conference for Developers, End Users and Decision Makers, is being held at the San Jose Convention Center, in San Jose, CA from September 27th - 30th. Please join us in continuing to make this the largest PostgreSQL Conference series in North America.

Main site.
Call for papers
Time line:
May 25th: Talk submission opens
July 31st: …

PGCon 2011 Developer's Meeting picture

For those that are curious (and which for some reason don't follow the #pgcon tag at twitter), here's a picture of the attendees of Developer's Meeting.

Back row, from left to right: Robert Haas, Selena Deckelmann, Marko Kreen, KaiGai Kohei, Stephen Frost, Magnus Hagander , Robert Treat, Tom Lane, Heikki Linnakangas, Mark Wong, Josh Berkus, Kevin Grittner, Dimitri Fontaine, Koichi Suzuki, Andrew Dunstan, Fujii Masao, Jeff Davis, Greg Smith, Tatsuo …

Postgres and Open Source Experts

PostgreSQL at DEFCON 19

Fixing foreign key deadlocks, part three

CFP for West extended

Learning from mistakes, taking new directions, observations

PostgreSQL Conference West to sponsor PostgreSQL feature development

Netflix should tell 6,000 users to please cancel their accounts

Real-world example of adding SAML authentication to a JBoss application

What is SAML?

Actually, I am going to #PgWest (and you might not want to)

#PgWest 2011: CFP Open

PGCon 2011 Developer's Meeting picture

Recent posts

Part 4: Debugging Limitations in RDS and Cloud Environments

PgManage 1.3 Release: Powerful New Features and Enhanced Usability

Part 3: Why Autovacuum Stops — PostgreSQL Internal Mechanics Explained

Lessons from the Road: The weight of consumerism

Part 2: Reproducing and Diagnosing Autovacuum Failures

Lessons from the Road: Know your values

Part 1: When Autovacuum Silently Fails Across Databases