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264 points davidgomes | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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noirscape ◴[] No.41877487[source]
Because the actual process of upgrading Postgres is terrible.

I say this as someone who absolutely loves using it, but the actual process of upgrading Postgres is something that takes significant downtime, is error-prone and you're often better off just dumping all the databases and reimporting them in a new folder. (A good idea in general since it'll vacuum and compact indexes as well if you do it, combining a few maintenance routines in your upgrade path.)

It requires having the previous version of Postgres installed, something which can mess with a number of distro policies (not to mention docker, which is the most popular way to deploy software that will typically rely on Postgres), and unlike most software with that issue, Postgres is software you want to be managed by your distro.

Therefore, most people only upgrade by necessity - when their distro forces the upgrade or the version they're using reaches EOL.

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1. tgv ◴[] No.41877921[source]
ADd to that: if it works, don't fix it.
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2. chefandy ◴[] No.41879585[source]
And considering how many people use some sort of abstraction layer like an ORM, have databases installed as part of some deployed application, or just do basic CRUD stuff, it probably would have worked on a postgres install from the 90s.

I keep an eye out for vulnerabilities, and that's about it.