#16 check file_properties.xml wordnet version number

[Linas Vepstas]

Hi,

Please bump the major version number whenever binary
compatibility is broken. Thus, for example, if
version 1.4 is not going to be binary compatible
with version 1.3, then please don't call it 1.4,
call it 2.0

This version numbering scheme is the the normal
industry standard for resolving compatibility
issues. I've already got a user who is complaining
that some software that works fine with version
1.3.3 is broken with version 1.4-rc1.

Thanks,

--linas

[Brett Walenz]

I realize this is a year old request, but it's still valid - I just picked up the project. Anyway, the API should be backwards compatible, and if it isn't then I need to know what was inadvertently changed. It's still at a release candidate stage, if we need to bump up the major version we can.

[Linas Vepstas]

I need to modify/rephrase this bug report. Here's what happened:

We've got code that worked fine with version 1.3.3 but did not work with 1.4rc2, and were were unable to debug why; just a lot of frustration. I assued the API had been somehow changed.

Then one day, we reviewed the contents of file_properties.xml (what we held in in system was modifiedd from what ships with jwnl). It indicated wordnet version 2.0, even though wordnet 3.0 was installed on the system. Changing this to 3.0 magically fixed the incompatibility problems: everything started working.

So perhaps the request is this: validate that the version number specified in file_properties.xml is consistent with that installed on the system, and issue a warning/error when its not.

Thanks!