Unexpected successes & epic failures by PostgreSQL committers: A Roundtable (PConf.dev 2026)

Presented by Álvaro Herrera, Claire Giordano, Daniel Gustafsson, Greg Burd, Peter Eisentraut, Thomas Munro at PGConf.dev 2026 (https://2026.pgconf.dev) “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it!” The PostgreSQL community has a well-documented history in the form of mailing lists, commit logs, and conference talks. We are building this Postgres history together: “The good, the bad, and the ugly” all inform where we go next. As a community we can learn from both our failures and our successes. In this roundtable-style panel, Postgres committers Àlvaro Herrera, Daniel Gustafsson, Peter Eisentraut, and Thomas Munro will share epic failures and unexpected successes from their work on Postgres: what they were trying to do, what actually happened, and what they’d do differently next time. Think of this roundtable as group therapy for PostgreSQL hackers. You’ll leave knowing that you’re not alone. Because one of the best parts about group therapy is realizing that others have had similar (or worse) experiences, too. The Postgres committers on this panel are heroes—and will talk openly about times they fell flat on their face, or were surprised by the uptake on something they didn’t think was important. https://2026.pgconf.dev/session/637 🎬 See more PGConf.dev 2026 videos at    • PGConf.dev 2026   Join us in Montreal for PConf.dev 2027 https://2027.pgconf.dev Connect with us: Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@pgconfdev Web: https://2026.pgconf.dev #postgresql #PGConfDev