RE: API's & Compiling to Prev Release

Leif,

For backward compatibility (old programs, new releases), they have a pretty
good track record.  You're suggesting that they should also provide (to coin
a term) forward compatibility, to run new programs on old releases?
Forever?  Personally, I think they're doing pretty well to maintain it for 5
years!

Dave Shaw
Spartan International, Inc.
Spartanburg, SC

-----Original Message-----
From: Leif Svalgaard [mailto:leif@leif.org]

From: Richard Jackson <richardjackson@richardjackson.net>

> Be advised that backwards compatibility to V3R2 stops after V4R5 and,
> according to the IBM presentation I saw yesterday, will not appear again.
> It is now possible to upgrade directly from V3R2 to V4R5 but, never again.
> Food for thought.
>

rather sad, actually. The original premise of the MI (now TIMI or whatever)
was that
applications were truly independent of the underlying platform, and hence by
extension
also of the underlying release of the O/S. Now so much of the OS has moved
down
under the MI that it is hard to honor that premise (promise).

Sigh; as C.C.Lewis has stated (as quoted by Feb Brooks about
some previous IBM software):

That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended - civilizations are
built up -
excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some
fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top, and then
it
all
slides back into misery and ruin. In fact, the machine conks. It sems to
start
up all right and then runs a few yards, and then it breaks down.

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