On 14:51 18 Feb 2002, Dave Reed <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
| I'm just trying to understand something here. . . I skimmed the
| release notes for the 1.3.14 development version of glib/gtk and it
| contained:
|
| The API is frozen at this point. No additional API changes are
| anticipated before GTK+-2.0 is released.
|
| <snip>
|
| Binary interfaces for these libraries are not yet frozen; applications
| built against these libraries will need to be rebuilt when the
| final GTK+-2.0.0 is released.
|
| How is it possible for it not to be binary compatible if none of the
| source API functions change?
Several ways. Some examples:
The Binary API for C++ is different between gcc 2.95 (RH 6.x systems),
gcc 2.96 (RH 7.x) systems _and_ gcc 3.x. So programs compiled for each
will not mutually link. However, that's not what the gtk people will be
talking about.
More likely example: Suppose something is a macro in one release and a
real function in another. The source API will be the same (you call the
macro just like a function) but there will be no library symbol for the
version using a macro. Another instance is constants. Supposing there's
a set of bitmasks like:
#define M_THIS 0x01
#define M_THAT 0x02
#define M_THEOTHER 0x04
in one release and they're numbers 2,4,8 in another. The source API
again would be the same because you'd be talking in terms of M_THIS etc,
but the actual numbers used in the binaries would differ.
Cheers,
--
Cameron Simpson, DoD#743 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.zip.com.au/~cs/
you just don't get it, do you?
here, i'll make it REALLY simple for you:
if you suffer a lapse of judgement, even a very fleeting one, on a bike
in traffic, you stand a good chance of DYING a horrible, body-mangling,
bone-crushing DEATH.
if you do the same thing in a cage, you stand a good chance of denting
a fender.
NOW DO YOU GET IT?
- ye wilde ryder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
_______________________________________________
Redhat-list mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/redhat-list
