diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
index 6b4db09605b5f08a287eb9fa2b4cf72df5ae132d..0259e4c31f0a5e5a3051fda5b0fd3c6b4eb821a3 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml,v 1.136 2007/08/04 01:26:53 tgl Exp $ -->
+<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml,v 1.137 2007/08/13 19:27:11 tgl Exp $ -->
 
 <chapter Id="runtime-config">
   <title>Server Configuration</title>
@@ -1352,6 +1352,14 @@ SET ENABLE_SEQSCAN TO OFF;
         commits.  It is therefore possible, and useful, to have some
         transactions commit synchronously and others asynchronously.
        </para>
+
+<!-- this note should go away before release!! -->
+<note>
+       <para>
+        For testing purposes, <varname>synchronous_commit</varname> will
+        default to <literal>off</> until 8.3 release approaches.
+       </para>
+</note>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
      
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
index 09cd8ca44813f946a0b5b0ae11970cd5fce720b5..0f2b479bf97ee0fcee685c9cf5cc111d10f71848 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  * Written by Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>.
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c,v 1.411 2007/08/08 16:00:46 tgl Exp $
+ *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c,v 1.412 2007/08/13 19:27:11 tgl Exp $
  *
  *--------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -560,7 +560,8 @@ static struct config_bool ConfigureNamesBool[] =
 			NULL
 		},
 		&XactSyncCommit,
-		true, NULL, NULL
+		/* XXX TEMPORARY FOR TESTING: sync commit should default to TRUE! */
+		false, NULL, NULL
 	},
 	{
 		{"zero_damaged_pages", PGC_SUSET, DEVELOPER_OPTIONS,
diff --git a/src/tools/RELEASE_CHANGES b/src/tools/RELEASE_CHANGES
index b1ef4931e8436d0d79727ac30d05d15c41842f74..2ebd6e39080d18c3ea4b774e3f20dd78c1066520 100644
--- a/src/tools/RELEASE_CHANGES
+++ b/src/tools/RELEASE_CHANGES
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 For All Releases (major, minor, beta, RC)
 ================
 
+*** SPECIAL FOR 8.3: don't forget to revert patch of 2007-08-13 that
+made synchronous_commit default to OFF.  Affects this file, guc.c, and
+config.sgml.
+
 * Release version number changes
 	o doc/bug.template
 	o bump Win32 interface version numbers