Font_ApplyFields problem

[David J. Ruck]

On 6 Nov 2001 Tony van der Hoff <tony at mk-net.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> Any user who needs 8-bit binary compatibility will get it by default; any
> user (there can't be many) who opts for 8-bit source compatibility can set
> the switch in his make file (surely that's minimal *extra work*); anyone
> else gets PRM-compliant 32-bit handles. Everyone can use the short symbols,
> and migrate from 8 to 32 bit by simply undefining a constant. Would that
> finally satisfy everyone?

I'm in complete agreement with Tony over this, which makes a nice change
doesn't it. :-)

However one thing has always puzzled in over this debate which has been
stated from the beginnig, Tony last mentioned it:-

On 1 Nov 2001 Tony van der Hoff <tony at mk-net.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> The problem is that of users re-linking binary object code for which either
> the source is unavailable (e.g. 3rd party libraries), or lost. Linking an
> old module against a new OSLib would be disasterous. There are plenty of
> arguments why people who try this should get all they deserve, but we, the
> OSLib developers, try to avoid such issues.

This has always struck me as an unwise thing to do, as although binary
capability may be maintained, there could be unforeseen functional
differences, and if you dont have the source to the program and you find
issues in testing, you are stuck.

The only reasons for relinking in the first place would be to either fix a
bug in the program that is known to be due to the library or to gain
increased performance from the new code. Both these are fairly unlikely with
OSLib as its a thin wrapper around SWI's. Relinking just because there is a
new version is unwise and potentially dangerous.

So out of interest how many OSLib users relink against the library without
recompiling the source? If it a substantial number then the current policy
of binary compatibility is the right one, but if not the libraries developers
are placing artifical restraints on themselves, which could be relinquished
to simplify development and make more radical decisons in future.

Cheers
---Dave

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  David J. Ruck    Phone: +44- (0)7974 108301    Email: druck at freeuk.com
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