From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Mariusz Mazur Subject: Re: iproute2 and kernel headers Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2004 11:38:08 +0200 Sender: netdev-bounce@oss.sgi.com Message-ID: <200408081138.09082.mmazur@kernel.pl> References: <20040805005019.GA11538@bougret.hpl.hp.com> <20040806093920.045b379e@dell_ss3.pdx.osdl.net> <1091847950.1800.6.camel@jzny.localdomain> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-2" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Cc: Stephen Hemminger , jt@hpl.hp.com, jt@bougret.hpl.hp.com, "David S. Miller" , netdev@oss.sgi.com Return-path: To: hadi@cyberus.ca In-Reply-To: <1091847950.1800.6.camel@jzny.localdomain> Content-Disposition: inline Errors-to: netdev-bounce@oss.sgi.com List-Id: netdev.vger.kernel.org On sobota 07 sierpie=F1 2004 16:04, jamal wrote: > > > By the way, one of the consequence of versioning the API is > > > that I tend to do most API changes in batches. The idea is that I w= ant > > > to minimise the number of API versions, because I have to test the > > > tools and drivers with each of them, and I have finite time. > > There should really be no reason you have to change versions. It should > be the last resort. You can use tricks like data structure augmentation > and and new TLV types to go for a long time and still be backward (as > well as forward) compatible. When you are no longer capable of doing > these tricks, then it would make sense upping the version. > There also should be rules for evolution reasons against having data > structures which cross kernel/userspace from having things like > lookatme[0] elements. If I understand correctly how the new linux-abi headers are supposed to w= ork -=20 this is the way to go (meaning - new versions of linux-abi should not bre= ak=20 old stuff if they don't have to). --=20 In the year eighty five ten God is gonna shake his mighty head He'll either say, "I'm pleased where man has been" Or tear it down, and start again