cvs commit: src/include string.h src/lib/libc/string Makefile.inc memchr.3 memrchr.c src/sys/sys param.h

[Erik Trulsson]

On Tue, May 27, 2008 at 02:41:06PM -0700, Maxim Sobolev wrote:
> Xin LI wrote:
> > delphij     2008-05-27 20:04:27 UTC
> > 
> >   FreeBSD src repository
> > 
> >   Modified files:        (Branch: RELENG_6)
> >     include              string.h 
> >     lib/libc/string      Makefile.inc memchr.3 
> >     sys/sys              param.h 
> >   Added files:           (Branch: RELENG_6)
> >     lib/libc/string      memrchr.c 
> >   Log:
> >   MFC: Add memrchr(3).
> 
> I think this is not very good idea to MFC that into stable releases 6.x 
> and 7.x. The reason is that configure scripts for some packages might 
> detect up this API and enable it. Which means that some binary-only 
> packages build for say 6.4 won't work on 6.3 and down. AFAIK, both 
> forward and backward compatibility is required (or at least desired?) 
> for stable branches.

No, it isn't.  Backwards compatibility (in the sense that stuff that worked
on 6.x should still work on 6.x+1) is largely required unless there is
some very good reason to break compatibility (such very good reasons are
quite rare.)
Compatibility in the other direction (that everything that works on 6.x+1
will also work on 6.x), while obviously somewhat desirable, has AFAIK never
been required and certainly not guaranteed.  Such compatibility has almost
certainly already been broken several times on all the -STABLE branches by
now.



> 
> While it's "nice-to-have" feature, I see no pressing need to MFC this 
> interface.

Nor is there any pressing need not to MFC it.


-- 
<Insert your favourite quote here.>
Erik Trulsson
ertr1013 at student.uu.se