Subject: Re: [boost] Process discussions
From: Stefan Seefeld (seefeld_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-02-01 18:38:03
On 2011-01-31 08:05, Paul A. Bristow wrote:
>
> I am also puzzled at the number of support requests which start with "I'm
> using Boost 1.3x".
> Should we not be saying "If you are more than n (=2?) releases behind -
> Tough! Upgrade before you as again!")
That drags in yet another point that was already discussed many times
over recent years:
As long as the boost community makes it so hard for users to upgrade, I
think it is very much to be expected that people pick a release, adjust
their own platform to it, and then stay with it until they absolutely
have to upgrade.
The point I'm driving at here is API and ABI compatibility. Without
that, two distinct boost releases have to be considered as two mostly
unrelated products, at least in environments with strict testing and
validation rules.
I don't think this is the right context to discuss this controversial
topic, but questions such as yours seem to suggest a lack of awareness
for this kind of needs.
I understand that for developers it's more convenient to always focus on
new features, instead of backward compatibility, and I'm not bringing
the topic up to judge. I'm just trying to raise awareness for these
concerns.
FWIW,
Stefan
--
...ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berlin...