Re: [Libphidget-devel] serial numbers

[<fit...@ph...>]

> Then, the string serves as good as the number, though you can a) add more
> significant information to it (like, the release variations, or specific
> options included into an instance of a phidget), b) extend the address space
> (though this is rather theoretical at this moment).
>
> How much of the existing code will break if the serial happens to be a
> malformed number?

Well, it doesn't bother me very much, because I just release a new Windows
version and tell everyone to go use it.  It's nice owning your own
sandbox.  I just try not to change it all the time..  As long as my
library is smart enough to figure out all the old phidgets, I don't worry
about broken code.

I don't think it's really worth mucking with, because USB provides other
mechanisms for device versioning, and so forth.  Particularly with the HID
devices.

With the soft phidgets, all that data, including the serial number,
version, .... extraneous information like programmable logic
device firmware versions, get stored into a fat EEPROM.  And it makes no
sense to cram everything into the serial number when it can stay
structured?

Chester