On 20 June 2012 19:19, Robert Ramey <ramey@rrsd.com> wrote:
Here's the *real* situation: Welcome to software development.
True - it's bad enough already - So let's agree not to make it worse if we can avoid it.
Define "worse". There are multiple conflicting goals. As I pointed out from the FAQ: "Many of the Boost libraries are actively maintained and improved, so backward compatibility with prior version isn't always possible."
"It's not going to be perfect anyway, so don't sweat the small stuff"
Of course we should strive for perfection (even if we can't achieve it), and sweat the small stuff. Now define "perfection". Perfection != 100% backwards compatible. As I said before: "While the bar on changing functionality and/or interfaces is high, it isn't (and never has been, as far as I know) absolute (and it isn't even as high as the C++ standard, nor should it be)." Good practices can reduce (but not eliminate) accidental risk., but ultimately, one has to balance risk of breakage vs. enhancement value. -- Nevin ":-)" Liber <mailto:nevin@eviloverlord.com> (847) 691-1404