Re: [HACKERS] varchar() vs char16 performance

Brett McCormick <brett@work.chicken.org>

From: Brett McCormick <brett@work.chicken.org>
To: Hal Snyder <hal@vailsys.com>
Cc: lockhart@alumni.caltech.edu, hackers@postgreSQL.org
Date: 1998-03-11T20:29:14Z
Lists: pgsql-hackers

n Wed, 11 March 1998, at 11:15:34, Hal Snyder wrote:

> > The char2,4,8,16 types seem to have no value-added over the
> > better-supported char(), varchar(), text types; I am considering
> > removing them from the backend, and instead have the parser
> > transparently translate the types into varchar() (or char() - I'm not
> > certain which is a better match for the types) for v6.4. Applications
> > would not have to be changed.
> > 
> > Comments?
> 
> I'm not up on the details of PostgreSQL's differing character types,
> but wonder - would the proposed change break any apps where trailing
> (or leading?)  whitespace is significant?  Not that I'm running any
> ...
> 

Heh.. migrating to 6.3. was a surprise for me.. I certainly wasn't
expecting whitespace pads, and there are some cases where it makes a
big difference!