Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano

What do chess clocks, jazz, and Postgres replication have in common? In Episode 32 of Talking Postgres, solution architect Boriss Mejías shares how the idea of “interconnectedness”—inspired by Douglas Adams—can help you untangle complex Postgres questions. We explore OpenAI’s approach to scaling Postgres, how Postgres active-active mirrors Sparta’s dual kingship, and how a holistic approach can reveal the behavior of synchronous replication. Also: Beethoven’s 17 drafts, and why chasing perfection can hold you back. Listen to learn more about Boriss, Postgres, and the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. Links mentioned in this episode: What went wrong (& what went right) with AIOWhy give talks at Postgres conferencesDirk Gently’s Holistic Detective AgencyScaling Postgres to the Next Level at OpenAIScaling Postgres to the Next Level at OpenAIImproved Freezing in Postgres Vacuum: From Idea to CommitDatabase Modeling to Study the New York Jazz ScenePatrick’s Place in HarlemSparta’s Dual-Kingship and PostgreSQL Active-ActivePostgres Storytelling: Cunning Schema Design with Creative Data ModelingHigh Availability Configurations Are Very Common for PostgreSQL, But How Do You Investigate Performance Problems When the Standby Can’t Keep Up?PGDay Lowlands 2025upcoming PGConf EU 2025Chess clockDaily RitualsIt Takes Two to ThinkThe Rime of the Ancient MarinerCity of Bruges BelgiumLIVE recording of Ep33 of Talking Postgres

Six years, a prototype, and a brief multi-layered descent into “wronger and wronger” design—what does it take to land a major architectural change in Postgres? In Episode 31 of Talking Postgres, Andres Freund—major contributor, Postgres committer, and lead of the Asynchronous I/O project—shares the wins, the missteps, and why he thinks AIO definitely took too long. We dig into io_uring in Linux, direct I/O, streaming reads, technical leadership, and exactly when is the right time to stop working on a prototype. If you’ve ever wondered how big architectural changes happen, or why they sometimes take years, this episode is for you. Links mentioned in this episode: How I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with Andres Freund & Heikki LinnakangasPostgreSQL 18 release notesPostgreSQL RC 1 Releasedio_uringPostgreSQL Hacking DiscordWhat went wrong with AIOAdd core asynchronous I/O infrastructureAIO project in PostgreSQLAIO in PG 18 and Beyond at PGConf NYCAIO in PG 18 and Beyond at PGConf EUXZ Utils backdoorLIVE recording of Ep32 of Talking Postgres

Why do Postgres developers, contributors, and users do what they do? In each episode of Talking Postgres, Claire Giordano talks to people from across the Postgres ecosystem—how they got started, what they’ve learned, and what they’re still figuring out. This 3-minute trailer offers a fast-paced glimpse into the fun, surprising, and deeply human stories behind Postgres, including failures, wins, obstacles—and all the messy parts in between. New episodes monthly. Always on Fridays. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes from Talking Postgres with guests featured in the trailer (in order of appearance): Episode 01: Working in public on open source with Simon Willison and Marco Slot Episode 18: How I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with David Rowley Episode 20: How I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with Tom Lane Episode 07: Why people care about PostGIS and Postgres with Paul Ramsey & Regina Obe Episode 29: How I got started leading database teams with Shireesh Thota Episode 25: Why Python developers just use Postgres with Dawn Wages Episode 19: Becoming a Postgres committer with Melanie Plageman Episode 24: Why mentor Postgres developers with Robert Haas Episode 04: How I got started as a dev (& in Postgres) w/Melanie Plageman & Thomas Munro

It’s always a good day if you see a pelican. In Episode 30 of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, open source developer Simon Willison—creator of Datasette and co-creator of Django—joins to explore how AI is useful for data engineers today. We move past the hype and boosterism to dig into example after example: structured data extraction, alt text and accessibility, safety and security (aka the fiddly bits), and why Postgres’s fine-grained permissions are such a good fit for AI-powered workflows. Also: Pulitzer-worthy data tooling, the science fiction of the 10X engineer, agents, MCP, RAG, the multitude of models, and why Simon spends so many waking hours on the jagged frontier of AI. Links mentioned in this episode: Simon Willison’s WeblogSimon’s Willison’s TIL - Things I’ve LearnedWorking in public on open source with Simon Willison and Marco SlotDjango Web FrameworkDatasettellm CLI tool and Python libraryLanguage models on the command-line w/ Simon WillisonOpenAI’s new open weight (Apache 2) models are really goodAccessibility and Gen AI podcast with guest Simon WillisonNew dashboard: alt text for all my imagesBig Opportunities in Small DataHow OpenElections Uses LLMsposts tagged with pelican-riding-a-bicycleNo, AI is not Making Engineers 10x as Productivepgvector extension to PostgresLIVE recording of Ep31 of Talking Postgres

From dreaming of driving a bus to leading database engineering at Microsoft. In Episode 29 of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, Shireesh Thota traces his path to becoming CVP of Azure databases—rooted in a love of math, early BASIC programming, and a certainty that he’d become an engineer. We dig into the shift from engineer to manager (if only people came with documentation); why it’s so important for Microsoft to contribute to the PostgreSQL open source project—not just consume it; and whether Shireesh has a favorite database (hint: it better be Postgres.) Links mentioned in this episode: Why we have a Postgres open source contributor team at MicrosoftLeading engineering for Postgres on Azure with Affan DarNew VS Code extension for PostgreSQLIntroducing Microsoft’s VS Code extension for PostgresPGConf.dev 2025 talk on “The trouble with extensions”How I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with David RowleyWho Moved My CheeseLIVE recording of Ep30 of Talking Postgres

What drives someone to publish 600+ issues of a Postgres newsletter for over a decade? In Episode 28 of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, Peter Cooper—creator of Postgres Weekly—shares how his days of rustic programming and QBASIC fanzines on Usenet led to a newsletter empire that now reaches nearly half a million developers each week. We dig into the BBC's "big tent" editorial influence, an accidental business model that just worked, and the perils of "temporary" hacks. Plus: spam filters, a Photoshop addiction, and one very cheesy story (dairy-free). Links mentioned in this episode: Postgres WeeklyList of newslettersLatest issue of Postgres Weekly on Jun 19, 2025Postgres Weekly issue with horrible graphicVery first issue of Postgres Weekly on Mar 13, 2013Ruby WeeklyBeginning Ruby Third EditionHow I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with David RowleyFeedbinfeedbin/feedbinFeederLitmusMGML markup language for emailThe Design of PostgresPGRX for building Postgres extensions in RustPodnews.netBBC MicroZX SpectrumLIVE recording of Ep29 of Talking Postgres

How does a trek to K2 base camp in the Himalayas spark the idea for a database company? In Episode 27 of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, guest Peter Farkas—CEO and co-founder of FerretDB—shares the origin story of this open source MongoDB alternative. (Spoiler: “Ferret” wasn’t the original name). We dig into why Postgres was the obvious choice, what “true open source” means to Peter, and how FerretDB is now powered by the open source DocumentDB extension from Microsoft. Plus, why Hungarian Trappist cheese might deserve a footnote in database history. Links mentioned in this episode: FerretDB/FerretDB repoFerretDB 2.0 GA: Open Source MongoDB alternative, ready for productionThe Design of Postgres, published 15 June 1986Issue 591 featuring FerretDBMicrosoft/DocumentDB open source repoFrom MongoDB to Postgres: Building an Open Standard for Document DatabasesThe SSL is Not an Open Source LicenseOSS: Two Steps Forward, One Step BackHow I got started as a developer (& in Postgres)initiative to define an open standardK2 (yes, the mountain)The Go Gopherwebcomic 927 on StandardsTrappista cheeseLIVE recording of Ep28 of Talking Postgres

What does it take to lead a global open source project like Postgres? In Episode 26 of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, we sit down with Bruce Momjian—co-founder and core team member of the PostgreSQL Global Development Group—to explore the art of leadership in a volunteer-run open source community. Bruce shares what “servant leadership” really means; how saying I’m sorry can help make problems go away; and how letting go of who-gets-the-credit can fuel collaboration. We also dive into Bruce’s origin story, from shaping Postgres’s early days to mastering the art of public speaking. Pro tip: if you see a man in a bow tie at a Postgres conference, be sure to say hello—it’s probably Bruce Momjian! Links mentioned in this episode: postgresql.orgBruce MomjianBuilding Open Source TeamsFOSDEM talk on Building Open Source TeamsJohn C. MaxwellIt is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the creditHow to Generate AI From a DatabaseBruce Momjian’s Insights from PGConf India 2025PGConf India 2025Why We SleepWhy Database Teams Need Crew Resource ManagementAnna Karenina principleWhy mentor Postgres developers with Robert HaasPostgreSQL Hacking serverPostgreSQL mailing listsPostgreSQL Conference Nepal 2025PostgreSQL Conference Germany 2025POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025Databases in the AI TrenchesSouthEast | LinuxFestSwiss PGDay 2025PGDay Austria 2025PGDay UK 2025PGDay Lowlands 2025Making PostgreSQL Hacking More InclusiveHow I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with David RowleyO'Reilly Open Source Convention (OSCON)LIVE recording of Ep27 of Talking Postgres

When I found out that Django developer and Python Software Foundation chair Dawn Wages has a chapter in her upcoming Domain-Driven Django book called “Just Use Postgres”, I knew we had to get her on the show. In this episode of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, Dawn breaks down why so many Python and Django developers have such an affinity for Postgres. And we dive into the Djangonaut Space mentoring program (where contributors launch), learn why “free as in puppies” beats “free as in cake” for open source vibes, and dig into why Python is the second-best language for everything. Links mentioned in this episode: psycopgPsycopg 3 – PostgreSQL database adapter for PythonPostgreSQL open source projectcode for PostgreSQL.org websitePyCon US 2025, happening May 14-22 in PittsburghPGConf.dev 2025 SchedulePrague PostgreSQL Developer Day 2025 (P2D2) ScheduleModel-view-controller software design patternProfessional ASP.NET MVC 1.0, affectionately called “the four heads book”Working in Public with Simon Willison & Marco SlotSimon Willison’s TILs, aka Things I’ve learnedHere’s how I use LLMs to help me write codeHow I make annotated presentationsPython Developers Survey 2023 ResultsWhat’s new in Python 3.14Djangonaut SpaceMedia & Talks about Djangonaut SpaceWhy mentor Postgres developers with Robert HaasPGConf EU 2024 talk by Claire Giordano about Contributions to PostgresSemantic search with Django, PostgreSQL, & pgvectorMaps with Django (and PostGIS), by Paolo MelchiorreDjango with PostgreSQL superpowers, by Paolo MelchiorreDjangoCon Africa 2025LIVE recording of Ep26 of Talking Postgres

Nobody works on an open-source project forever—eventually, people move on. So of course today's Postgres contributors want to see more developers join the project, pick up the torch, and continue to make Postgres amazing. Hence the importance of mentorship. In this episode of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, PostgreSQL major contributor and committer Robert Haas shares how he learned the ropes in Postgres by channeling “what would Tom Lane do” during patch reviews; why he launched the new PostgreSQL Hackers Mentoring program; and the intellectually stimulating care and feeding it takes to make Postgres thrive. Links mentioned in this episode: Becoming a Postgres committer with Melanie Plageman PGConf EU 2024 talk by Claire Giordano about Contributions to PostgresNew Mentoring Program for Code Contributors in PostgresPostgres Mentoring Program Updateshttps://discord.gg/bx2G9KWyrYMargo Seltzer, the PGConf.dev 2024 keynote speakerPGConf.dev 2024 panel discussion about Making PostgreSQL Hacking More InclusivePostgreSQL HackersPGConf.dev 2025, the annual PostgreSQL Development ConferencePostgres committer Tomas Vondra’s BlogCMUDB Database talk about PostgreSQL Optimizer MethodologyHow I got started as a developer & in Postgres with David RowleyLIVE recording of Ep25 of Talking Postgres

March 5th 2005 at 3 PM in Copenhagen. That’s the exact time and place Daniel Gustafsson’s career took an unexpected turn, pivoting from operating systems to databases. At LinuxForum that day, Daniel had planned to meet up with the FreeBSD community, but a chance session about Postgres by Bruce Momjian completely blew his mind. By the time Daniel was on the train back to Malmö, he was already compiling Postgres. In this episode of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, Postgres major contributor and committer Daniel Gustafsson of Microsoft walks us through how he got his start as a developer and in Postgres—starting with his earliest computing memories of a hulking steel box in his family’s living room in Sweden. Also part of Daniel’s story: guitar tuning software. And curl! Links mentioned in this episode: ABC 80mSQLPCBoard BBSCHAR(10) – Clustering, HA and Replication ConferenceIRIX operating systemLinuxForum Conference Agenda from March 5, 2005Solving every data problem in SQL with Dimitri Fontaine & Vik FearingNordic PGDay 2025All Things Open 2025PGConf.dev 2025POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025 CFPWhat’s in a Postgres major release? An analysis of contributions in v17 timeframeAnalysis of contributions in the v17 timeframeThe Dragon BookThe Purple BookThe Practice of ProgrammingLIVE recording of Ep24 of Talking Postgres

What’s it like to lead Postgres engineering at a cloud giant like Microsoft Azure? In this episode of Talking Postgres, host Claire Giordano chats with Affan Dar, VP of Engineering for Postgres at Microsoft. Affan’s team is behind the Azure Database for PostgreSQL managed service and also contributes extensively to the upstream Postgres open-source project. Affan walks us through his career journey—from his first job as an embedded systems engineer, to navigating the shift between engineering and management, to leading one of the largest Postgres engineering teams in the world. He shares the strategy behind Microsoft’s investments into Postgres, explores how massive cloud fleets are influencing the future of Postgres, and shares what keeps him up at night. Links mentioned in this episode: Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible ServerDurable Task Frameworkpgvector open source extensionElastic cluster feature in Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible ServerCitus open sourcePostgres horizontal scaling with elastic clusters on Azure Database for PostgreSQLDiskANN open sourceHow to enable and use the DiskANN index for Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible ServerThink of language models like ChatGPT as a “calculator for words”What’s new with Postgres at MicrosoftImproving accuracy of GenAI apps with Azure Database for PostgreSQLPOSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025 CFPLIVE recording of Ep23 of Talking Postgres

Have you ever achieved something remarkable because someone planted an idea in your mind? In this episode of Talking Postgres, host Claire Giordano talks with Andrew Atkinson—a Rails developer and Postgres user whose journey to becoming a published author began with a simple seed of inspiration. Andrew’s story started with an internal presentation on how to tackle tricky scalability challenges in Rails, grew into a Postgres conference talk at PGConf NYC—and ultimately evolved into his book, High Performance PostgreSQL for Rails. Also in this episode: what does cheese have to do with Postgres? Is writing a good way to think? What’s the connection between Postgres and swimming to Antarctica? And which chapter of his book does Andrew love the most? Links mentioned in this episode: High Performance PostgreSQL for RailsUse discount code TalkingPostgres to get 35% offReaders get their copies of High Performance PostgreSQL for RailsSwimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long Distance SwimmerPGConf NYC 2021 talk by Andrew AtkinsonPGConf NYC 2021 talk on How We Made PG Fitter, Happier, More ProductivePOSETTE 2024 talk about SaaS on Rails on PostgreSQLList of upcoming Ruby user groupsWriting is Thinking, an annotated twitter threadBecoming a Postgres committer with Melanie PlagemanHow I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with David RowleyPrague PostgreSQL Developer Day 2025 (P2D2) CFPFOSDEM PGDay 2025 CFPNordic PGDay 2025 CFPpgDay Paris 2025 CFPPGConf.dev 2025 CFPPOSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2025 CFPLIVE recording of Ep22 of Talking Postgres

It was not Tom Lane’s plan to become a computer person. Tom’s plan was to be a pinball machine designer. And yet for the last 26 years Tom has been one of the most prolific engineering contributors to Postgres. In this episode of Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano, PostgreSQL luminary Tom Lane walks us through how he got his start as a developer and in Postgres—including his time working on desktop calculators at HP. And how he has code running on Mars (and most of us don’t.) During Tom’s PhD studies at Carnegie Mellon, nobody told him databases were so interesting! It wasn’t until Tom needed a database to store stock trading information that he first got to work with Postgres. And that’s when Tom’s 26-year-long (and counting) Postgres story began. Links mentioned in this episode: Tom Lane (computer scientist)HP 9800 seriesCoke Machine historyHoneywell 316Teletype Model 33Hydra (operating system)William WulfJon Bentley (computer scientist)Mary Shaw (computer scientist)Usenetpostgres commit by tglsfdcThe Mars 2020 Engineering Cameras and Microphone on the Perseverance Rover: A Next-Generation Imaging System for Mars ExplorationOpen Source on Mars: Community powers NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopterpg_upgrade --check fails to warn about abstimeCore TeamcommitdiffProton to FastmailHow I got started as a dev (& in Postgres) with David RowleyConference ScheduleConference ScheduleBecoming a Postgres committer with Melanie PlagemanCommitfestsCutting room floorStraight-from-the-horses-mouth dept[PATCH] Extend ALTER OPERATOR to support adding commutator, negator, hashes, and merges

If you could work on anything, would you quit your job to pursue it? Postgres committer and major contributor Melanie Plageman joined Claire Giordano on this episode of the Talking Postgres podcast (formerly Path To Citus Con) to share her story about becoming a Postgres committer. Melanie pivoted from IT consulting to open-source development, driven by her fascination with systems engineering and Postgres open source. What’s the secret to getting your patch committed? Feedback is a gift, but how willing are you to embrace it? How important is mentorship—and how important is it to ask for help? Even though crafting clear, concise emails to a technical community might not be easy, Melanie shows how empathy for other Postgres developers can help your work to stand out. Links discussed in this episode Announcement about new Postgres committersPGConf.dev 2025Talk, then codementoring by Robert HaasMentoring Program UpdatesBrendan Burn’s tweet about the Kubernetes Chop Wood and Carry Water awardChop Wood Carry WaterWho Contributed to PostgreSQL Development in 2023?What's in a Postgres major release? An analysis of contributions in the v17 timeframeHow I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with David RowleyPostgreSQL Contributor GiftsEp 20 of Talking Postgres with Tom LanePodcasts & conference videos that Melanie listens to when running that she recommends to Postgres developers: Oxide and Friendspostgres.fmSoftware Engineering RadioTalking Postgres with Claire GiordanoTwo’s ComplementEp 432: Brian D Foy on Perl 7Memory & CachesPOSETTE 2024 playlistRailsConf 2014 - All the Little ThingsBrandon FoltzCMU Database GroupKernel RecipesLinux Plumbers ConferenceMatt GodboltOnur Mutlu LecturespganalyzePostgreSQL Development ConferenceSNIAVideoStrange Loop ConferenceThe Linux Foundation

Ever wonder how driving a forklift at a cheese factory could lead to a career in databases? Postgres committer David Rowley joined Claire Giordano on this episode of the Talking Postgres podcast (formerly Path To Citus Con) to share his story about how he got started as a developer and in Postgres. Could an unexpected job lead to your dream career? Does speeding things up give you a buzz? How could an idea from a hike become a Postgres patch? And what is the importance of doing the research before you submit a proposal to the Postgres mailing list? Also discussed: resources available to start your Postgres journey such as books, blogs, videos, and the pgsql-hackers mailing list. Links mentioned in this episode: Acorn ComputersPossible problem with EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM TIMESTAMP)Larry Page’s Java question from Jan 7, 1996Speeding up sort performance in Postgres 15What’s new in the Postgres 16 query planner / optimizerThe Art of PostgreSQLThe Art of SQLThe Art of Writing Efficient Programs: An advanced programmer's guide to efficient hardware utilization and compiler optimizations using C++ examplesSimon Willison’s tweetTony FinchDaily Rituals: How Artists WorkCoughing in my microphone causes segfaultOverviewpgsql-generalpgsql-hackersMaking your patch more committableSeriously CheddarHow I got started as a dev and in PostgresHow I got started as a developer (& in Postgres)Ep19 of Talking Postgres with Melanie PlagemanEp 20 of Talking Postgres with Tom Lane

Have you ever eavesdropped on other people’s conversations? Former co-host Pino de Candia joins Claire Giordano on this episode of Talking Postgres (formerly Path To Citus Con) to share their experience on podcasting about Postgres. Is listening to a podcast the next best thing to being in the hallway track at a conference? Does it bring the community together? How beneficial has it been to have a parallel chat while recording live? What is the “sweet spot” for the number of guests to have per episode? Is structure important for a podcast? Also discussed: this podcast’s rename, a walk down memory lane reflecting on the past 16 episodes, and shout-outs to other podcasts about Postgres. Links mentioned in this episode: Ep18 of Talking Postgres with David RowleyTalking PostgresWorking in public on open sourceHow to get Postgres ready for the next 100 million usersWhy giving talks at Postgres conferences mattersPostgres Storytelling: What’s going on with Synchronous ReplicationPostgres Storytelling: Support in the Darkest HourHow I got started as a dev and in PostgresMy favorite ways to learn more about PostgreSQLFibonacci Spirals and Ways to Contribute to PostgresYou're probably already using PostgresObject–relational mappingHow to work with other peopleWhy people care about PostGIS and PostgresHow I got started as a developer (& in Postgres)LinkedIn post about Andres Freund’s xz backdoor discoverySolving every data problem in SQLAdvent of CodeMy Journey into Postgres MonitoringMy Journey into Performance BenchmarkingFrom developer to PostgreSQL specialistSpinning up on Postgres & AIBecoming expert at using PostgreSQLElectric ElephantsMy Journey to Explaining ExplainPostgres FMThe Making of POSETTE: An Event for PostgresScaling PostgreSQLSponsoring the communityHacking Postgres5mins of Postgres

It’s not a conference unless you can confer, right? POSETTE organizers Teresa Giacomini and Aaron Wislang join Claire Giordano on the Path To Citus Con* podcast to share backstage perspectives on the making of POSETTE: An Event for Postgres. How do you feel about captions: love or hate? Should livestream talks be pre-recorded or presented live? Why rename from Citus Con to POSETTE? Where did the inspiration for POSETTE come from? And can the hallway track at a conference actually be fun—if it is virtual? Also discussed: Avett Brothers lyrics, the surprising number of POSETTE speakers with chickens, and the existential question of whether the work in organizing a conference is worth it. *[Update: July 2024] Path To Citus Con has been renamed to Talking Postgres. All of the past podcast episodes from Path To Citus Con—now called Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano—can be found here: https://talkingpostgres.com Links mentioned in this episode: What’s in a name? About the naming of POSETTE: An Event for PostgresFOSDEMPlaylist of all 42 talks from POSETTEPlaylist of the 4 unique livestreamsPGDay Lowlands 2024 Call for PapersP99 ConfMicrosoft Open Source DiscordAdam Wølk’s speaker pagePolina Bungina at POSETTEAbout Talk Selection for POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2024Building the PGConf.dev Programmenote about talk selection processAll The Postgres Things at Microsoft, POSETTE editionThe Open Source Geospatial Community, PostGIS, & PostgresWhy I love open source development & what I learned from K8sA Walking Tour of PostgreSQLThe Perfect Space by The Avett BrothersLessons Learned benchmarking & profiling distributed PostgreSQLPostgres Storytelling: Support in the Darkest Hour | Citus Con 2023Postgres Storytelling: What's going on with Synchronous Replication?Vindicating ZFS with PostgreSQL: Unleashing the Power of ScalabilityUltimate Guide to POSETTE: An Event for Postgres, 2024 editionTweet by Kelsey HightowerSo you want a PGDay in your cityThe Story Behind the Activity Book for Postgres

Did you know that sometimes the fastest way of doing something is not having to do it at all? In this episode of Path To Citus Con*, the podcast for developers who love Postgres, Michael Christofides joins Claire Giordano to chat about his journey to explaining explain (or should we say EXPLAIN!?) Michael shared his origin story as a mathematician and his first experience with Postgres before walking us through co-founding a Postgres company and now co-hosting a podcast. Like many in the Postgres community, he is opinionated in the best way possible! We even learned about his passion for BUFFERS and why he believes everyone should use them. This session also dives into Michael’s belief in the importance of Postgres documentation. Because great documentation can be worth its weight in Gold, especially when the going gets tough. *[Update: July 2024] Path To Citus Con has been renamed to Talking Postgres. All of the past podcast episodes from Path To Citus Con—now called Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano—can be found here: https://talkingpostgres.com Links mentioned in this episode: POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2024pgMustardWhere our name came fromUsing EXPLAINNikolay SamokhvalovLightning TalksWhat’s new with Postgres at Microsoft (August 2023)Faster PostgreSQL Countingpg_docs_botAbout GitHub Copilot ChatUsing EXPLAINEXPLAIN GlossaryEXPLAIN ExplainedReading a Postgres EXPLAIN ANALYZE Query PlanExplaining the unexplainableexplain.dalibo.comPlanet PostgreSQLPostgres Weekly5mins of PostgresPostgres FM podcastEp16 of Path To Citus Con podcast with Aaron Wislang & Teresa Giacomini

You have to find what works for you and Chris Ellis has never been the kind of person that could go and sit in a library—for Chris, the most productive Postgres place is in a coffee shop. In this episode of the Path To Citus Con* podcast for developers who love Postgres, Chris Ellis joined Claire and Pino to chat about his path to becoming more (and more) expert at using PostgreSQL. Curiosity may have killed the cat but it’s taken Chris places, beginning as a 5 year old playing with QBASIC. Chris shared his journey to becoming a developer, an electronic engineer, a builder, and a PostgreSQL user. This session also delves into Chris’s work as a Postgres conference speaker (and organizer!) Importantly, we spent time remembering Simon Riggs, Postgres leader extraordinaire. RIP. *[Update: July 2024] Path To Citus Con has been renamed to Talking Postgres. All of the past podcast episodes from Path To Citus Con—now called Talking Postgres with Claire Giordano—can be found here: https://talkingpostgres.com Links mentioned in this episode: the PostgreSQL mailing listsIoT with PostgreSQLAdvantage PostgreSQLShould I use JSON in PostgreSQL?Fighting the Butterflies & giving your first Postgres conference talkModern SQLLinus’s lawxz backdoor discoveryMastodon Toot about xz backdoorHow I got started as a developer (& in Postgres) with Andres Freund & Heikki LinnakangasMy Journey into Performance Benchmarking with Jelte Fennema-Nio & Marco Slotfeaturing Andres Freund from Microsofttweet on LLMChris's "Electric Elephants" talkSimon Riggs's tragic passing last weekThe Next 20 YearsThe Art of PostgreSQLSolving every data problem in SQL w/Dimitri Fontaine & Vik FearingPlanet PostgreSQLContributing to Postgres 101: A Beginner's ExperienceLinux Kernel DevelopmentLED PCB ArtpgDay Paris – Postgres Community, cheese and wineLUG RadioPOSETTE: An Event for PostgresSunday April 7th 2024 at 11:59pm PDTEp15 of Path To Citus Con podcast with Michael Christofides