Re: location of the configuration files

Tom Lane wrote:

>mlw <pgsql@mohawksoft.com> writes:
>  
>
>>Here is the test, configure a server, with sendmail, named, apache, and 
>>PostgreSQL. Tell me which of these systems doesn't configure right.
>>    
>>
>
>AFAIK, only one of those four is designed to support multiple instances
>running on a single machine.  This is not unrelated.
>
>  
>
While I will agree with you on sendmail and named, Apache is often run 
more than once with different options.
Furthermore, I hate to keep bringing it up, Oracle does use the 
configuration file methodology.

Tom, I just don't understand why this is being resisted so vigorously. 
What is wrong with starting PostgreSQL as:

postmaster -C /etc/postgresql.conf

UNIX admins would love to have this as a methodology, I don't think you 
can deny this, can you? I, as a long term PG user, really really want 
this, because in the long run, it makes PostgreSQL easier to administer.

If a patch allows PG to function as it does, but also allows a 
configuration file methodology, why not?