PostgreSQL 8.4 Proves Feature-Rich
The free database system PostgreSQL is available in version 8.4 with numerous new features and enhancements.
The PostgreSQL Group counts 293 enhancements for its 8.4 release over its predecessor. Among the most important is Parallel Restore, with up to eight times faster backup file restoration, which can apply to 8.2 and 8.3 backups as well. As far as database security, column-level permissions can now be set along with the table itself.
The sorting methods (character collations) can be set by database apart from at installation, a welcome feature for multilingual environments. A few new monitoring features will also be helpful for large enterprise environments.
The query language was enhanced through advanced features of the SQL 2003 ANSI standard, such as aggregate operations through windowing. Common table expressions allowing named subqueries and recursive joins also reduce queries to far fewer than previously required.
An overview of the PostgreSQL 8.4 feature enhancements is available as a list or a matrix comparing it to the previous five releases.
PostgreSQL is ready for download under a BSD license. Apart from the source code, there are binary packages for 32-bit and 64-bit Intel CPUs, with specific distro packages also in the offering.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.