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Why It's So Hard to Add a Column in the Middle of a PostgreSQL Table

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Re: Why It's So Hard to Add a Column in the Middle of a PostgreSQL Table

#11

Post by locknitpicker »

tianzhou wrote: post #10
audunw wrote: post #5

“Here is the catch: that single integer is wearing three hats at once.” How many times did that point have to be reiterated in unnecessary AI style? Was the article AI generated. I hope so, if not it really shows how bad AI has degraded our ability to write. Could you at least have read over and cleaned up the prose a bit? That whole section could have been written in straight forward human language, and it would be…

Author here. I did use AI to assist writing. The way I do it is I feed all my past writings (around 200+ posts) to the AI and let it record my style. I research the topic, lay the outlines and let AI write it. Then I further refine section by section with a combination of AI and manual editing). What you have pointed out is valid and it helps me to improve the process. And I have edited the post based on your suggest…

> This post still takes me almost an afternoon to finish, but without AI, it will take me much more time.

Why do you think people will bother reading something you didn't bothered to write?

Re: Why It's So Hard to Add a Column in the Middle of a PostgreSQL Table

#12

Post by tianzhou »

locknitpicker wrote: post #11
tianzhou wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Author here. I did use AI to assist writing. The way I do it is I feed all my past writings (around 200+ posts) to the AI and let it record my style. I research the topic, lay the outlines and let AI write it. Then I further refine section by section with a combination of AI and manual editing). What you have pointed out is valid and it helps me to improve the process. And I have edited the post based on your suggest…

> This post still takes me almost an afternoon to finish, but without AI, it will take me much more time. Why do you think people will bother reading something you didn't bothered to write?

I see this as the same argument in old days where Harvard law school banned computer in favor of the typewriter https://x.com/stevesi/status/2075994207508922406

What I would argue is knowing what topic to write is more important, and I am confident if you throw this particular question to AI, the response would be much worse.

Re: Why It's So Hard to Add a Column in the Middle of a PostgreSQL Table

#13

Post by lsaferite »

wolvoleo wrote: post #7
lsaferite wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity, why do you prefer MySQL over Postgres?

Good question. I think it's because I just rolled into it. It was not really a conscious decision and after a while I got used to its quirks. And it got significantly better over time too of course.

I started on Oracle, then spent many years on MySQL, and am now using mostly Postgres. I vastly prefer Postgres over MySQL. Mind you, I haven't really worked with MySQL in a few years now, so it might have improved a lot for all I know. The one thing that initially drew me to Postgres over MySQL was DDL being transactional.

Re: Why It's So Hard to Add a Column in the Middle of a PostgreSQL Table

#15

Post by wolvoleo »

lsaferite wrote: post #13
wolvoleo wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good question. I think it's because I just rolled into it. It was not really a conscious decision and after a while I got used to its quirks. And it got significantly better over time too of course.

I started on Oracle, then spent many years on MySQL, and am now using mostly Postgres. I vastly prefer Postgres over MySQL. Mind you, I haven't really worked with MySQL in a few years now, so it might have improved a lot for all I know. The one thing that initially drew me to Postgres over MySQL was DDL being transactional.

Yeah I know MySQL started out as the "poor man's" lightweight alternative to Postgres.

But it always worked well for me. Like I said I got used to its quirks. I'm just surprised reading from this article that postgres has quirks too :)

Re: Why It's So Hard to Add a Column in the Middle of a PostgreSQL Table

#16

Post by locknitpicker »

tianzhou wrote: post #12
locknitpicker wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This post still takes me almost an afternoon to finish, but without AI, it will take me much more time. Why do you think people will bother reading something you didn't bothered to write?

I see this as the same argument in old days where Harvard law school banned computer in favor of the typewriter https://x.com/stevesi/status/2075994207508922406 What I would argue is knowing what topic to write is more important, and I am confident if you throw this particular question to AI, the response would be much worse.

> I see this as the same argument in old days where Harvard law school banned computer in favor of the typewriter

No. It's more like clueless students trying to pass off a screenshot of a Google search for original research.

> What I would argue is knowing what topic to write is more important (...)

Except you don't. At most you are saving the output that everyone around you is more than able to type themselves, with the benefit of people being able to continue their own chat session.

Just call a spade a spade: spamming content that's way beyond your technical ability in a desperate attempt to generate engagement.

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