Re: [boost] Should we provide hot fixes?

From: John Maddock (john_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-08-27 04:39:18

Marshall Clow wrote:
> Changing interfaces, to me, implies that the developer:
> * Discovered a better way to solve the problem that he faced.
> * Decided that the benefits of the change outweighed the costs.
>
> The "don't change interfaces, ever, no matter what" is why we still
> have "strcpy" and "mktmp", to name just two examples. Bad interfaces
> are bugs; they should be fixed.
>
> Software does not spring full-blown from someone's forehead; it is a
> process of discovery and refinement. Interfaces follow that same path.

True enough, but it's still good manners to try and preserve 
source-compatibility even if binary-compatibility can't be preserved.

Cheers, John.