Steve Morris wrote:
> Anssi Hannula wrote:
>>> Having
>>> libXXX.so.1 and libXXX.so.2 coexisting is great, and libXXX.so should
>>> always be pointing at the latest version, and software that is not
>>> version specific should have a runtime dependency on the libXXX.so file.
>>>  
>>
>> But the software cannot know whether the dependency is version-specific.
>>  
> Correct, but the author does. It is the author who is making the
> decision about whether the dependency needs to be version specific or
> not based on how the software was written.

>> The release of libXXX.so.3 could completely change the interface and the
>> application would no longer work.
>>  
> This applies to everything, and while true, this is why you have
> software maintainers, change documentation, testing strategies and
> release cycles.

I'd argue this is why you have versioned requirements so that things
don't just break underneath you when everything appears to glue together
correctly at a high level.

The best analogy I can think of is putting diesel in a petrol car. The
tank says "Insert fuel here" and I have a pump that spits out diesel so
I slap some in and try to drive away. It doesn't work. I am surprised as
I've followed the instructions and inserted fuel so WTF is up? I'd have
to read the manual of the car just to work out that I've used the wrong
type of fuel. Jeeze what a fool I am!

Over here, our petrol pump nozzels are much smaller than diesel ones, so
it's damn near impossible to accidentally put diesel into a petrol car.
I know *by design* that the petrol pump I'm using is correct and that
the diesel pump is wrong (obviously this doesn't work both ways!)


I really can't express how wrong I think you are in any more ways!!!

Col

--

+--------------------------+
|    Colin Guthrie     |
+--------------------------+
| cguthrie(at)mandriva.org |
| http://colin.guthr.ie/ |
+--------------------------+