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SubjectRe: Binary drivers
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In message <Pine.GSO.4.10.9912082036070.373-100000@weyl.math.psu.edu>, 
Alexande
r Viro writes:
+-----
| was. FPOS lingered around until _NOW_. Killed in 2.3.30-pre7. Should it be
| left around forever? I don't think so. Sorry. If it means recompile - so
| be it.
+--->8

My point was that a recompile is fine. Breaking the *source* interface is
problematic. (For those who fear that source compatibility can lead to
binary compatibility and dislike the latter: you can make source-compatible
changes that break binary conpatibility, the most obvious being rearranging
structure elements.)

The main thing I draw from your example is that nobody garbage-collected
smap in a timely fashion. Announce the old interface's deprecation in the
(stable) release where the new interface first shows up, and then *remove*
it at the next major release.

Widely distributed development has its drawbacks; this is one of them. It
would be nice if we dealt with it semi-sanely.

--
brandon s. allbery os/2,linux,solaris,perl allbery@kf8nh.apk.net
system administrator kthkrb,heimdal,gnome,rt allbery@ece.cmu.edu
carnegie mellon / electrical and computer engineering kf8nh
We are Linux. Resistance is an indication that you missed the point.



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