> > Here are the two options that I *am* considering: > * Include both backends; make the existing changelist backend on by > default. The problem here is that it represents a genuine regression > against Libevent 1.4, and I really hate having regressions. A library > that accepts regressions for well-formed code using older versions is > IMO being very rude to its users, and encouraging people to worry > about upgrading. > * Include both backends; make the non-changelist backend on by > default. The problems here are that a) the non-changelist backend is > slower, and most people won't do whatever is necessary to activate the > faster one, and b) the non-changelist backend has had not nearly so > much testing as the current changelist-based backend. If we do this, > the lack of testing means we cannot possibly call 2.0.9 > "2.0.9-stable"; we'll need to call it "-rc" instead. :/ > > I am currently leaning towards the last option. Efficiency is > important, but even more important is knowing that if you wrote a > program using Libevent version N, your program will still work when > Libevent N+1 is released. Setting an option to enable extra > performance is more important than setting an option to enable > backward compatibility. >
Generally speaking, I agree with your logic and conclusion, but with a twist. Both options share the problem of suggesting the right choice for a programmer; e.g. providing the changelist-option by default and failing compilation for programs which are not fit for it could be nice, but it's not really possible. You could, however, force programmers into a choice by not providing a default. If the configuration script forced the user to choose between two back ends you have a higher chance of people reading documentation and making the right choice for themselves. If that doesn't sound like a good solution, I'll go back to supporting the last option. *********************************************************************** To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to majord...@freehaven.net with unsubscribe libevent-users in the body.
