On Sep 05, 2010, at 15:06, Jon Robertson wrote:
> If ICS works in D2010, why can't the same source be recompiled in
> Delphi XE without change? Why must component vendors insist on
> forcing source code changes (even if just the .inc file) for every
> version, when there is very likely nothing in the new version of
> Delphi that will break the components?
It can never be known in advance what new features will be added or which old
features may be deprecated by a new version of a compiler; and whether any of
it will break existing code or not.
ICS, like many other components, is tested thoroughly with all known versions
of Delphi to ensure compatibility across all supported versions. Since a new
compiler is an absolute unknown factor, it cannot be assumed to be supported by
default.
If it happens that a new version of Delphi does not break any old code and does
not require any changes to the code base, then that is a very good thing. But
to ascertain this fact, the code still needs to be tested thoroughly before
adding the new compiler to the list of supported ones.
> Whether I wait on the component vendor to update the source, or I
> update it myself, that's still wasted time.
What you are missing is that the component vendor does not just "update the
source," but performs all sorts of testing to ensure compatibility. When ICS
claims that it supports Delphi version "X", you can be sure that it was
thoroughly tested in that version. This is important and necessary testing
that you do not have to do. Surely this type of support is not a waste.
To do what you request would be irresponsible, since it would give a false
sense of security to those using ICS on production systems, whom are
contemplating upgrading their compilers. What if the next version is the one
that breaks existing code? It is impossible to tell.
dZ.
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