Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2017 12:35:45 -0500 From: Mark Linimon <linimon@lonesome.com> To: Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com> Cc: Aristedes Maniatis <ari@ish.com.au>, freebsd-stable <freebsd-stable@freebsd.org>, Kurt Jaeger <lists@opsec.eu>, Matthew Seaman <matthew@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: ABI changes within stable branch Message-ID: <20170920173544.GD10570@lonesome.com> In-Reply-To: <CANCZdfp9V5V8JRy9AfFvvNk01MgkR6ZSJrvJA8DcbS3vMJfy5A@mail.gmail.com> References: <20170919081532.GB2170@home.opsec.eu> <21c1d954-8bdf-0d16-f1ca-176cd6df7a60@ish.com.au> <DA4D8888-995B-418B-ACA8-7F600FA43A7C@punkt.de> <423b38b0-18d8-4252-d2b8-f25f2141e3bb@ish.com.au> <CANCZdfrjGxa0yeoGs=cFOXbfLpNtD%2Buc5Ey4=AREtnbxEbpb3g@mail.gmail.com> <CANCZdfoFK6Xczv9WedyJ0B%2B-wPH0f6hatjQqR=WQTxQhRi=RLw@mail.gmail.com> <CANCZdfpD5vThbqfzmvpobUW%2B6tkGnj1fH4XGf4M97efFJzPK-g@mail.gmail.com> <CANCZdfqMw5nXe5LbmiiyrRw3d%2BxrPk=F5Sye9iTR_g7LaxJd-Q@mail.gmail.com> <CANCZdfoTKUyJXxd%2B=CpPxdE1tpOwWCN4qp4Xe-Z3OhZvLuUOFw@mail.gmail.com> <CANCZdfp9V5V8JRy9AfFvvNk01MgkR6ZSJrvJA8DcbS3vMJfy5A@mail.gmail.com>
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On Tue, Sep 19, 2017 at 07:33:20PM -0600, Warner Losh wrote: > FreeBSD has always had a policy of backwards compatibility. By that > definition we are stable. What we don't promise is full forwards > compatibility, which is what you are asking for. In particular, "we add things to the ABI" sometimes changes the way packages build (e.g. if a config script auto-detects the change). Because of this, you have to be very particular that you are running either 11.0-built things, or 11.1-built things, but not a combination. If you're running 11.X-stable across the thing-added-to-ABI boundary, then you can get into the same bad state. Ports rarely get into that state across that boundary, and only a few of them, but it is very annoying when it does happen (e.g. rsync). The only way to make sure that doesn't happen is to cancel the developers' ability to modify the ABI in any way. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening. mcl
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