Re: [gentoo-dev] Reverse use of Python/Ruby versions

[Kent Fredric <kentnl@gentoo.org>]

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On Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:49:04 -0700
Christopher Head <chead@chead.ca> wrote:

> >Usually when writing new code, you use the latest version of stuff. Not
> >always but usually best. If anything make code support older while
> >targeting newer.  
> 
> No, not how I develop. I always start by determining my target audience and then develop using a feature set that allows my target audience to use the code as easily as is practical. I wouldn’t use a syscall introduced in kernel 4.9 if I could avoid it, even if it made my code simpler, because most of my colleagues run Ubuntu LTS, they are part of my target audience, and it wouldn’t be available there. To me, responsible development practices mean NOT forcing my target audience to do a manual kernel build. Eventually the syscall will be “generally available” to my target audience, at which point I may go back and change the code.

Slightly seems like minor misinterpretation (possibly)

I think the development maxim is not that you "use newer stuff and push it downstream"
but "make sure you yourself are using newer things so that you're aware of changes
that are occurring in the pipeline and you have accommodated for them before it
becomes a critical to do so".

For comparison, I'll be using the latest Perl version possible, and I'll
be testing everything possible on the latest version, and fixing every problem
that the new versions introduce, ... while simultaneously also not using
*any* features consciously that have been introduced since 5.8

This is just the principle of "make your own code the most accommodating",
accommodate maximally for both old and new versions of things outside your
control.

Or to re-phrase this yet another way:

- I run the latest everything so that when you do, you won't have problems
- But I don't expect you to run the latest everything, though you might some day.

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