On Fri, Feb 06, 2004 at 03:34:30PM -0500, Theo Van Dinter wrote: > > I don't have a problem with the API change as long as we continue > "cleaning house" and getting rid of the old baggage that we don't > need/want to keep around. >
Just to put in my $.02. I'm all for an API change, as long as it accompanies an improvement in the underlying code. The drawbacks to changing the API are that third-party applications must be updated to work correctly and sometimes this can burn a project (see Apache 2.X vs Apache 1.3). I think you can overcome this drawback by providing a significant incentive for third-party tools to update their API. SA sorta has this builtin because without updating you don't get the newer more effective rules. I don't think it would fall into the Apache category where everything works well on 1.3 so why update to the newer, more complicated API. If now is a good opportunity to clean up the existing API so that it's a) easier to work on underlying code and b) makes more sense, then I suggest we take it. Might as well go in head first, and do as much API changing now rather than having to go through it all again a few months down the road. I can see the use for backward compatability, but I'd make it strictly a wrapper which perhaps issues a warning each time it's called, "Please upgrade to the new API, thank you," and elimiate it after one or two point releases. Michael
