From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Original-To: caml-list@yquem.inria.fr Delivered-To: caml-list@yquem.inria.fr Received: from mail2-relais-roc.national.inria.fr (mail2-relais-roc.national.inria.fr [192.134.164.83]) by yquem.inria.fr (Postfix) with ESMTP id D812ABC57; Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:39:45 +0200 (CEST) X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Filtered: true X-IronPort-Anti-Spam-Result: AkIDADJRI0zRVaG2mGdsb2JhbACDHY8+MIwmCBUBAQEBAQgJDAcRIrEEgkSFYIkBAQEDBYEkgwhwBI54 X-IronPort-AV: E=Sophos;i="4.53,475,1272837600"; d="scan'208";a="53854606" Received: from mail-gx0-f182.google.com ([209.85.161.182]) by mail2-smtp-roc.national.inria.fr with ESMTP; 24 Jun 2010 21:39:45 +0200 Received: by gxk3 with SMTP id 3so2094088gxk.27 for ; Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:39:44 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:sender:received :in-reply-to:references:date:x-google-sender-auth:message-id:subject :from:to:cc:content-type:content-transfer-encoding; bh=XEg14iwGTmSWOccFnCsIjwO4aRzjcRqMd3Ket4H9hWA=; b=YvZwmyNzdpuYs6BYffRGaZgva4fLv8zfl79onNT1/4iE6eHAIqjXMIP0R/pPOWQNGC Vd1JR+eNuhshC+NUgFjRuGXlo5JrLJx7FsOdCUCbhqZ5Tdtz31lqkJW4qYGLjLAJZN4f q4vn2JkWabAdap9QmfYoe9gRhrsc4uwKm8u0o= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:sender:in-reply-to:references:date :x-google-sender-auth:message-id:subject:from:to:cc:content-type :content-transfer-encoding; b=Cl6uukXXbXRPHa+Ft/7xEIK3xJEDMmCd1Ca+yc7gJbVM1oVBIHJJ3LLybXYkSbMFyX old9LTBJboJIXK+3Pxd++rhr+YtD4+uapWsZNRsGrQkyCcAfkoo/98dbVBtU3x06CW10 XbA17tCRTt/gL6ZjuG8M0vHN8DumxxXDPTV+M= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.224.51.205 with SMTP id e13mr6650317qag.120.1277408383890; Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:39:43 -0700 (PDT) Sender: till.varoquaux@gmail.com Received: by 10.229.213.139 with HTTP; Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:39:43 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <20100624205906.48451eor602oaf3u@webmail.imag.fr> References: <4C232778.2020605@imag.fr> <4C2399B0.4060503@ens-lyon.org> <20100624205906.48451eor602oaf3u@webmail.imag.fr> Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:39:43 -0400 X-Google-Sender-Auth: zsezXgKqbyjqgKNjUWa8DAXRxP4 Message-ID: Subject: Re: [Caml-list] OCaml 3.12.0+beta1 From: Till Varoquaux To: Florent.Ouchet@imag.fr Cc: Martin Jambon , Damien Doligez , caml users Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Spam: no; 0.00; ocaml:01 ens-lyon:01 syntax:01 ocaml:01 nodes:01 syntax:01 compiler:01 wikipedia:01 bug:01 beginner's:01 bug:01 beginners:01 wrote:01 compile:01 compile:01 On Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 2:59 PM, wrote: > Martin Jambon a =C3=A9crit=C2=A0: >> >> I disagree. =C2=A0The syntax is a new and optional feature. =C2=A0Author= s who want >> their >> new code to compile with an earlier version of OCaml should simply avoid >> using >> the new feature, as always. > > The 3.12 version number is just minor increment. It should keep backward > compatibility with the 3.x branch as much as possible. > >> Finally we'll be able to use pattern matching on records for real and it= 's >> really cool. =C2=A0That means we can use records where we used to prefer >> tuples, >> typically on things like tree nodes. =C2=A0It will make it easier to add= fields >> when the code evolves, compared to tuples. > > Yes, this feature is cool. We agree on this point. However not all system= s > will be updated to 3.12 as soon as the final version is out. Most users r= ely > on their linux distribution ocaml (Debian stable is still stuck at 3.10 f= or > instance). > > For syntax sugar extensions, such as { loc; name; _ }, your "don't use it= " > conclusion can be understood. But for code stabilization syntax extension= s, > such as { ... ; _ }, it's an other story. Users stuck with more stable > versions of the compiler should be able to use more stable versions of > software compiled with it. > > - Florent >>From wikipedia: "In the context of telecommunications and computing a device or technology is said to be backwards or downwards compatible if it can work with input generated by an older device" Do you have an example of old code not being able to compile anymore because of that change? If so you should probably fill in a bug report. As for forward compatibility (ie programs coded with 3.12 in mind might not compile with 3.10) this is a price I am happy to pay in order to have a language that's constantly improving. I think that this is feeling that is shared by many. And, last but nor least, older does not necessarily mean more stable. You seem to use those interchangeably in your mail. Windows 3.11 is old... Till > > _______________________________________________ > Caml-list mailing list. Subscription management: > http://yquem.inria.fr/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/caml-list > Archives: http://caml.inria.fr > Beginner's list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ocaml_beginners > Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs >