From: Zeno Davatz Date: 2011-01-22T04:55:13+09:00 Subject: [ruby-core:34769] [Ruby 1.8-Feature#4239] Let's begin a talk for "1.8.8" -- How's needed for surviving 1.8? Issue #4239 has been updated by Zeno Davatz. Dear Mathew It seems that what you say, I say as well. I never said that if you write something for Ruby 1.9 it should work for Ruby 1.8 as well. I said the contrary: If you write something for Ruby 1.8 it should work on Ruby 1.9 as well. I exaggerated when I said we have to rewrite "all" our Libraries. But we have to rewrite a lot more then I expected. And ideally I would expect the same of Ruby as I expect of the Kernel. Upwards compatibility of old features. That should always work. Oniguruma is a nice example that should have been merged into mainline ages ago. But instead just some feature where cherry-picked. The core team still has not given me a reason for that decision. I guess it was taken "out of fear not to introduce to many new things to fast". But the Oniguruma-Patch should have been merged a lot more aggressive right from the beginning in 2002. What I am saying is "bridge". Think of a bridge as 1.8.8 to version 1.9.2. Maybe 1.8.9 could be another bridge to 1.9.3. Your idealism of compatibility in one direction suits me just fine. Compatibility combined with consistency. But the idea of being compatible just with in one paradigm as within 1.9 or within 1.8 that feels wrong to my mindset. But that is the way Matsumoto-san wants it. Best Zeno ---------------------------------------- http://redmine.ruby-lang.org/issues/show/4239 ---------------------------------------- http://redmine.ruby-lang.org