Re: [tlug] empty rows (PostgreSQL)

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

First, let me apologize for not finishing the thread before replying
earlier ... I'm currently using a full-debug-enabled build of XEmacs
and even over ADSL the response is, uh, painfully slow.

    Edward> Actually, my intention was to be kind and gentle and
    Edward> suggest that this is not the best place for that kind of
    Edward> question.... which I do believe.  I think Ahmed would get
    Edward> answers that are much more useful to him on a list
    Edward> dedicated to beginning web programmers. I *could* have
    Edward> ignored the post, but I thought suggesting alternatives
    Edward> was more helpful.

Ah, so we were "projecting".  Speaking for myself, I would not have
meant what you wrote "kindly and gently"!  Sorry!  You're still
welcome to the drink.  :-)

    Edward> But this was not in any way related to Unix...... (unless
    Edward> you consider that you can run PHP on Unix makes it
    Edward> relevant)

Hmm ... I see it as relevant, but mostly because this list isn't
really about Linux (which is a kernel) or even about the GNU System
with Linux as the kernel, but about real sysadmin'ing for the masses.
The thing that has always driven me up the wall about a certain set of
not-so-new-bies is the lack of responsibility they advocate, or at
least encourage by omission.  I fend off some hundreds of script-
driven crack attempts daily, I would be surprised but not shocked if
on Monday I were to discover one or more of my machines had been
owned.

Exposing a database to the Internet via PHP is (last I heard) a fairly
risky business---any of the usual scripting languages (Python, Java,
even Perl) would be a better choice for a newbie.  (Of course, I
haven't paid much attention for a couple years---and you won't find
any CGIs exposed to the general internet on my site for precisely that
reason.  Well, unless U Tsukuba firewall policy has gotten more lenient
without warning.  :-)

But this is precisely the kind of thing that Linux (foremost among the
easily available server OSes) makes easy to do.  That's what this list
is really about (that and how to wrestle Unix into docilely serving as
a kinder gentler workstation OS, which I have no truck with---I think
of GNOME as a dead rat some cat named Apt dragged in ;-).  Ain't no
kernel weenies here; ain't no device-driver weenies here ('ceptin'
Chris, Best Beloved, and he don't talk about that here[1]); no
language design weenies (anybody implemented an SLR parser generator
recently? :-); only a few serious app developers.

Really, Linux (or whatever your OSOS of choice) is about being an
independent netizen.  (We rank with Finland as having the highest per
capita number of actually used registered internet domains.)[2]  At
least for most TLUGers.  No?  And (speaking for myself) that's what I
would like TLUG to be about.

Footnotes: 
[1]  Poetic license, sure there are others.  But I bet most TLUGers
would have a hard time naming any!  And they don't talk about that
here, either, anyway.

[2]  A neat little factoid I just made up.  I will disavow all quotes,
of course.

-- 
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences     http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
               Ask not how you can "do" free software business;
              ask what your business can "do for" free softw