[CLN-list] CLN 1.2.1 -- silent ABI change?

[Richard B. Kreckel]

Bruno Haible wrote:
> Hi Richy,
> 
>> Indeed: <http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=473494>.
> 
> This can be solved by rebuilding the Ginac package, no?

Yes.

>> Oh, no! Oh, no, no nooooo!!! This entire library versioning scheme sucks 
>> so big time. I've read all the docs and it didn't help because I missed 
>> that change. It is theoretical mumbo-jumbo unless one has an actual ABI 
>> testsuite and uses it on a regular basis. This is especially true for 
>> C++ libraries.
> 
> Theoretical mumbo-jumbo? The docs say that a library maintainer has to
> determine four things:
>   - Has the library source code has changed at all? I make diffs for
>     the entire source code between the previous and the current release.
>   - Have any interfaces have been added, removed, or changed? I make diffs
>     for the include/ directory between the previous and the current release.
>   - Have any interfaces have been added? Same.
>   - Have any interfaces have been removed? Same.

Frankly, it hadn't occurred to me that anybody would diff the package 
against the previous release. (Maybe one could diff symbols using nm, or 
so.)

Anyway, there are two more options for CLN-1.2.2:

* Back out the patch.

* Add a function that re-establishes binary compatibility but don't 
expose it in the public header file.

Still pondering...
   -richy.
-- 
Richard B. Kreckel
<http://www.ginac.de/~kreckel/>