[postgis-users] [postgis-devel] postgis extension sans raster (only for folks who can't compile with raster support) - PSC Vote and developer/packager comments please

[Stephen Woodbridge]

I for one have never used the raster functionality. I occasionally think 
about doing this or that with it, but have never gotten around to it. I 
also run Ubuntu 14.04 which has great support for the whole thing.

I like the idea of breaking postgis into multiple packages because:

* 99.99% of the time I only use the vector function
* I do use the address standardizer on a regular basis
* I have never used topology (except to experiment with it a few times)
* I have never used the raster stuff
* And I'm not sure what the CGAL stuff does

* installing only the sub-extensions that I need, would cut down on the 
clutter of functions when I'm browsing them for a signature using pgadmin

* while it probably does not matter, it just seems like smaller is 
better, less of a memory foot print, etc.

I can live with it either way.

Also it seems like you should be able to create a meta package called 
"postgis" that installs all the extensions or allow the user to install 
individual extensions via postgis-<name>. I think the extension 
mechanism is still fairly new so maybe raising some of the issues with 
postgresql will help in the longer term.

It doesn't sounds like there is any "good" solution, but I know from 
past efforts the GDAL is a huge beast to build with tons of other 
dependencies which is always a pain to resolve, especially if you have 
version specific requirements.

-Steve

On 10/27/2015 6:49 PM, Paragon Corporation wrote:
> How many folks are unable to compile postgis with raster or have a package that has no raster support and who REALLY REALLY want to be able to install postgis with:
>
> CREATE EXTENSION postgis;
>
> This is a repost of a conversation I started in PostGIS -develop which I probably should have cc'd PostGIS users on.  It seems not too many people on dev have issue compiling with GDAL support.
>
> The issue discussed is that since postgis raster is part of the postgis extension, if people choose to compile without raster support because they can't get GDAL to work (despite being discouraged), they can not do
>
> CREATE EXTENSION postgis;
>
> They have to resort to the old way of using postgis contrib scripts to install.
>
> My proposition
> https://trac.osgeo.org/postgis/ticket/3338
>
>
> was still have a postgis that has raster support (as breaking it out at this point would be  headache particularly for the person who has to deal with the upgrade ramifications) and a big headache for people who use raster heavily as now they'd have two extensions to bother with.
>
> That said the proposition in a nutshell is this
>
> 1) Still have raster as default and you still need to explicitly ask for --without-raster
> 2) If you ask for --without-raster, you'll get an extension called  "postgis" with no raster functions in it, but with an extension version number that reads  2.3.0-no-raster
>
> So a query like this if you compiled without raster:
>
> SELECT  *
> FROM pg_available_extensions()
> WHERE name = 'postgis';
>
> Would read:
>
>    name   | default_version |                               comment
> ---------+-----------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------
>   postgis | 2.3.0-no-raster     | PostGIS geometry and geography  spatial types and functions
> (1 row)
>
> Instead of:
>
>    name   | default_version |                               comment
> ---------+-----------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------
>   postgis | 2.3.0           | PostGIS geometry, geography, and raster spatial types and functions
> (1 row)
>
>
> Which means people who have postgis without raster support can follow the world renowned instructions:
>
> CREATE EXTENSION postgis;
>
> Like everyone else and all the other postgis extensions postgis_topology, postgis_tiger_geocoder will be built as well.
>
> The main downside to this is
> 1) you have a postgresql postgis extension that may not have any raster functions and one that goes by same extension name postgis with raster support.
> Though I claim this is clear from the version number and description :)
> 2) It does mean it’s a bit easier for packager maintainers to package a postgis without raster support which is both good and bad
> -- good for older systems where an old antiquated gdal is not readily available so they can still package a newer postgis for it.
> -- bad for users who rely on package maintainers and really want raster support as their package maintainer might just decide not to bother with raster.
>
> If there is enough interest, I will reopen the ticket I closed and create and RFC as Paul Ramsey suggested to flesh out the complete details of this and how upgrading would work
> For folks coming from a postgis without raster non-extension version to a postgis without raster extension version.
>
> Thanks,
> Regina
> http://www.postgis.us
> http://postgis.net
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: postgis-devel [mailto:postgis-devel-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Sandro Santilli
> Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2015 5:28 PM
> To: PostGIS Development Discussion <postgis-devel at lists.osgeo.org>
> Subject: Re: [postgis-devel] postgis extension sans raster (only for folks who can't compile with raster support) - PSC Vote and developer/packager comments please
>
> On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 03:39:29PM -0400, Paragon Corporation wrote:
>> I've retracted.  Seems not enough interest for this and could lead to confusion.
>>
>> Or maybe I should have asked on postgis-users :)
>
> That's a good idea.
> Ask on postgis-users if there's any interest about being able to install postgis with no raster support.
>
> --strk;
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