Re: Lua and backwards compatibility - was Re: [ANN] Lua 5.3.4 (rc2) now available,

[Peter Aronoff <telemachus@...>]

Dibyendu Majumdar <mobile@majumdar.org.uk> wrote:
> Would it not be better though if you could upgrade to the next version
> without having to change things?

I think you mean this to be a rhetorical question: the answer to you seems
to be an obvious yes. I can understand some reasons why you might think
that. Less work is better. Stability is nice.

But I don’t think it’s a rhetorical question (really), and I don’t think
the answer is obvious. There are always trade offs—you hint at this below
when you talk about C++. If a guarantee of backwards compatibility hinders
the progress of a language or forces significant compromises in how the
language evolves, then I think the answer to your question tilts towards
“No.” Of course, opinions will differ.

I’d also add, as others have said, that Lua’s current approach to change
seems to me a very healthy mix of respect for current code and a desire to
improve the language. Also, and others have said this too, it’s not
especially hard to use older versions of Lua on projects where upgrading
might be more work than a team wants or can handle.

Just my two cents.

Peter

-- 
We have not been faced with the need to satisfy someone else's
requirements, and for this freedom we are grateful.
    Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson, The UNIX Time-Sharing System