[Boost-users] backwards compatibility

From: Steve M. Robbins (steve_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-03-31 04:03:24

Hello,

I realize that Boost doesn't promise ABI compatibility across releases,
nor even API compatibility according to the FAQ:

    How can the Boost libraries be used successfully for important
    projects?  

    Many of the Boost libraries are actively maintained and
    improved, so **backward compatibility with prior version isn't
    always possible**. Deal with this by freezing the version of the
    Boost libraries used by your project. Only upgrade at points in
    your project's life cycle where a bit of change will not cause
    problems. Individual bug fixes can always be obtained from the
    boost repository.

    (emphasis mine)

OK, but *in practice* is there a large amount of work adapting
existing client code to a new release?  I'm asking in order to gauge
whether it is useful for a linux distribution (Debian) to keep
multiple versions of Boost available simultaneously; e.g. 1.34.1 and
1.35.  Currently Debian provides only the latest version of Boost.

Thanks,
-Steve