On Nov 3, 2013, at 11:57 AM, Mateusz Marzantowicz <mmarzantowicz(a)osdf.com.pl>
wrote:
Do I understand correctly that first problem could be solved by
stabilizing APIs used in various Linux projects? Because developers
don't want stabilizationt they invent workarounds like sandboxes?
Wouldn't it be easier to have stable API for some period of time?
Interface stability is a continuum. Windows has extremely stable interfaces that last
seemingly decades. Legacy compatibility is a Windows mantra.
And then Apple has little problem wholesale abandoning interfaces for entirely new ones.
The compatibility for applications between major versions, 10.7.x to 10.8.x is quite good
but it's always the case some applications don't work or have odd behaviors. It
continues to surprise me they get away with this once a year with next to no user
backlash, overwhelmingly OS X users upgrade en mass within months. And some developers are
ready on day 1 release, and others take a while to support the new OS, and that's
their choice.
In any case, the WG should pick the location on that continuum for Fedora. It needs a
suitable compromise between stability and pushing innovation, and therefore things are
going to break. But hopefully only a little broken and with some notice of more
significant breakage being anticipated.
Chris Murphy